The correct answer is a brute-force attack against a single account. This rule detects that specific threat by monitoring for a high number of failed logons—here, more than five—followed by at least one successful logon for the same user account, which indicates the attacker guessed the password after repeated attempts. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your ability to interpret analytics rule logic, particularly how thresholds and sequential events map to attack patterns. A common trap is confusing this with a password spray attack, which targets multiple accounts with a single password; remember, the key differentiator is the single account focus. Memory tip: think “one user, many fails, one win” to recall the single-account brute force signature.
SC-100 Practice Question: Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"properties": {
"displayName": "Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rule",
"query": "SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4625
| summarize Count = count() by Account, bin(TimeGenerated, 5m)
| where Count > 10",
"frequency": "PT5M",
"period": "PT10M",
"triggerOperator": "GreaterThan",
"triggerThreshold": 0
}
}
```
Refer to the exhibit. You are analyzing a Microsoft Sentinel analytics rule. What does this rule detect?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Brute-force attack against a single account
This rule detects a brute-force attack against a single account by triggering when the number of failed logons for a specific user exceeds a threshold within a given time window, followed by a successful logon. The condition `FailedLogons > 5` and `SuccessfulLogon > 0` for the same account indicates that the attacker has guessed the correct password after multiple failed attempts, which is a classic sign of a successful brute-force attack.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Multiple successful logons for the same account
Why it's wrong here
EventID 4625 is failed logon.
✓
Brute-force attack against a single account
Why this is correct
The rule alerts when an account has >10 failed logons in 5 minutes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Multiple failed logons from the same source IP address
Why it's wrong here
The query groups by Account, not IP.
✗
Overall number of failed logons across all accounts
Why it's wrong here
The rule groups by account, not overall.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a brute-force attack against a single account (detected by failed logons followed by a success for the same user) with a password spray attack (where many accounts are targeted with a few passwords), leading them to incorrectly select an option focused on source IP or overall failure counts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, this rule uses a KQL query that groups events by AccountName and counts failed logons (Event ID 4625) and successful logons (Event ID 4624) within a sliding time window. The threshold of 5 failed attempts is a common baseline, but in real-world scenarios, attackers may use distributed brute-force techniques (e.g., slow attacks or multiple IPs) to evade detection, so tuning the threshold and time window is critical. Additionally, the rule could be enhanced by correlating with other signals like anomalous geographic locations or impossible travel to reduce false positives.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — This question tests Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Brute-force attack against a single account — This rule detects a brute-force attack against a single account by triggering when the number of failed logons for a specific user exceeds a threshold within a given time window, followed by a successful logon. The condition `FailedLogons > 5` and `SuccessfulLogon > 0` for the same account indicates that the attacker has guessed the correct password after multiple failed attempts, which is a classic sign of a successful brute-force attack.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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