SC-100 Practice Question: Design security solutions for applications and data
You are designing a solution to securely store and manage secrets for a cloud-native application deployed on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). The application needs to retrieve database connection strings and API keys at runtime without hardcoding them. The solution must minimize administrative overhead and integrate with Microsoft Entra ID (now Microsoft Entra ID) for access control. Which service should you use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Key Vault with managed identities
Azure Key Vault with managed identities (option C) is correct because it provides a fully managed, cloud-native secrets store that integrates natively with Microsoft Entra ID, and managed identities let the AKS pods authenticate to Key Vault without storing credentials, minimizing administrative overhead. The application can retrieve database connection strings and API keys at runtime via the Key Vault SDK or the Secrets Store CSI Driver, so nothing is hardcoded. Kubernetes Secrets (A) are only base64-encoded and stored in etcd, lack Entra ID-based access control, and require manual rotation and RBAC management. HashiCorp Vault on AKS (B) is powerful but self-managed, adding significant operational and administrative overhead. Azure App Configuration (D) is designed for application settings and feature flags, not for secure secret storage with Entra ID access control.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Kubernetes Secrets
Why it's wrong here
Kubernetes Secrets are base64-encoded, stored in etcd, and scoped by Kubernetes RBAC rather than Microsoft Entra ID, so they fail the access-control requirement and demand manual rotation. They suit non-sensitive configuration in clusters already governed by Kubernetes identities, not runtime database credentials.
- ✗
HashiCorp Vault on AKS
Why it's wrong here
HashiCorp Vault on AKS delivers secret storage and Entra ID integration only after deploying, unsealing, and maintaining Vault clusters and auth methods, contradicting the minimal-administrative-overhead requirement. Self-managed Vault suits multi-cloud estates needing dynamic secrets beyond Azure, not a single AKS workload.
- ✓
Azure Key Vault with managed identities
Why this is correct
Azure Key Vault stores secrets centrally, and managed identities give the AKS workload a Microsoft Entra ID-backed identity that authenticates to Key Vault without stored credentials. This removes secret rotation and credential management overhead while enforcing access control through Microsoft Entra ID.
- ✗
Azure App Configuration
Why it's wrong here
App Configuration stores application settings and feature flags, not secrets; its key vault references merely point elsewhere, adding a component. It suits centralised configuration management across environments, whereas the stem needs secret storage with Microsoft Entra ID-backed access control.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SC-100 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SC-100 exam.