SC-100 Practice Question: Design security solutions for applications and data
Your organization is deploying Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to create a policy that blocks downloads of sensitive files from sanctioned cloud apps to unmanaged devices. What type of policy should you create?
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
✓
Session policy
A session policy (option A) is correct because in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, session policies are used with Conditional Access App Control to monitor and control user sessions in real time, including blocking downloads of sensitive files from sanctioned cloud apps to unmanaged devices. Session policies can apply actions such as block download, protect, or block based on the sensitivity of the content and the device state. App discovery policies (option B) are used to identify and assess shadow IT and unsanctioned apps, not to control file downloads in real time. Anomaly detection policies (option C) trigger alerts on unusual user behavior but do not enforce download blocking. Access policies (option D) in Defender for Cloud Apps are used to allow or block sign-ins to apps based on conditions, not to control in-session file download activity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Session policy
Why this is correct
Session policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps operate in real time via a reverse proxy to enforce granular conditional access actions on a user's session. They can explicitly block downloads, uploads, and copy/paste based on risk signals such as device posture or user behavior, making them the correct policy type for preventing data exfiltration.
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App discovery policy
Why it's wrong here
App discovery policies are focused on identifying and assessing the cloud applications in use across your organization, primarily to uncover shadow IT. They analyze traffic logs to provide a risk score and visibility into unmanaged apps, but they do not enforce any session-level actions, so they cannot block a download.
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Anomaly detection policy
Why it's wrong here
Anomaly detection policies are designed to identify suspicious behavior patterns, such as impossible travel or mass file downloads, using machine learning and user and entity behavior analytics. When an anomaly is detected, the policy triggers an alert and can optionally initiate an automated response, but it does not directly block a user's download action in real time.
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Access policy
Why it's wrong here
Access policies are conditional access rules that determine whether a user is allowed to enter a cloud app or resource based on conditions like user identity, device compliance, location, and risk. They control authentication and admission to the session, not the actions a user can perform inside that session, so they cannot block a specific activity like downloading a file.
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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.