SC-200 Practice Question: Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender for cloud. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A company enables Microsoft Defender for Cloud on its Azure subscription. The security team wants to ensure that all existing and future Azure VMs have Just-In-Time (JIT) VM access configured. Which of the following actions must the team take first to enable JIT for VMs?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable the 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud's environment settings
Option A is correct because enabling the 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud's environment settings is the prerequisite step that activates the JIT feature for the subscription. Without this plan enabled, Defender for Cloud cannot enforce JIT policies on any VMs, regardless of NSG or agent configurations.
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 the 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud's environment settings
Why this is correct
JIT must be enabled first; then VMs can be configured and requests can be made.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure a network security group (NSG) to allow RDP traffic from a specific IP range
Why it's wrong here
JIT works by dynamically creating NSG rules; manual NSG configuration is not required beforehand.
✗
Create a security policy assignment to block all inbound RDP traffic
Why it's wrong here
JIT requires an allow rule, not a blanket block; this would prevent legitimate access.
✗
Install the Log Analytics agent on all VMs
Why it's wrong here
JIT does not require the Log Analytics agent; it works via Azure Resource Manager and NSG rules.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think JIT requires an agent or manual NSG configuration, but the first step is always enabling the plan in Defender for Cloud's environment settings, as JIT is a cloud-level policy feature, not a VM-level agent-based one.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
JIT VM access in Defender for Cloud works by creating and managing Azure Network Security Group (NSG) rules that allow inbound traffic only during approved time windows. The 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan must be enabled at the subscription level in Defender for Cloud's environment settings to activate the feature; once enabled, you can configure JIT policies per VM, and Defender for Cloud automatically creates the necessary NSG rules and denies all other inbound traffic. A real-world scenario is a SOC team needing to grant temporary RDP access to a VM for incident response without leaving ports permanently open.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable the 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud's environment settings — Option A is correct because enabling the 'Just-In-Time VM access' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud's environment settings is the prerequisite step that activates the JIT feature for the subscription. Without this plan enabled, Defender for Cloud cannot enforce JIT policies on any VMs, regardless of NSG or agent configurations.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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