SC-100 Practice Question: Design security solutions for applications and data
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security solutions for applications and data. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Your organization is designing a new application that will store sensitive customer data in Azure Cosmos DB. You need to ensure that data at rest is encrypted using a customer-managed key (CMK) stored in Azure Key Vault. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault and assign it to the Cosmos DB account.
Option A is correct because Azure Cosmos DB supports CMK by creating an encryption key in Azure Key Vault and associating it with the Cosmos DB account. Option B is wrong because Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is for SQL databases, not Cosmos DB. Option C is wrong because Always Encrypted is for SQL Server. Option D is wrong because Azure Storage Service Encryption is for storage accounts, not Cosmos DB.
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.
✗
Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) on the Cosmos DB account.
Why it's wrong here
TDE is for SQL databases, not Cosmos DB.
✗
Enable Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) on the Cosmos DB account.
Why it's wrong here
SSE is for Azure Storage, not Cosmos DB.
✗
Use Always Encrypted with Azure SQL Database.
Why it's wrong here
Always Encrypted is for SQL Server.
✓
Configure a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault and assign it to the Cosmos DB account.
Why this is correct
Azure Cosmos DB supports CMK via Azure Key Vault.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-100 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design security solutions for applications and data — This question tests Design security solutions for applications and data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a customer-managed key in Azure Key Vault and assign it to the Cosmos DB account. — Option A is correct because Azure Cosmos DB supports CMK by creating an encryption key in Azure Key Vault and associating it with the Cosmos DB account. Option B is wrong because Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is for SQL databases, not Cosmos DB. Option C is wrong because Always Encrypted is for SQL Server. Option D is wrong because Azure Storage Service Encryption is for storage accounts, not Cosmos DB.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which SC-100 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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