A security analyst is creating a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender using Advanced Hunting. The rule should alert when a user signs in from an IP address that is not in the company's approved IP range (192.168.0.0/16). Which KQL function should be used to compare the sign-in IP against the approved range?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
SigninIP startswith '192.168.'
String prefix matching works only for /16 ranges and fails for subnets like /24.
Best answer
ipv4_is_in_range(SigninIP, '192.168.0.0/16')
Correct. This function directly checks if the IP is within the given CIDR range.
Distractor review
has_any(SigninIP, dynamic(['192.168.0.0/16']))
has_any is for substring matching, not for CIDR range evaluation.
Distractor review
ipv4_is_private(SigninIP)
This checks if the IP is in any private range (RFC1918), not against a specific range.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Related practice questions
Related SC-200 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
A company uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud to protect an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster. The security team wants to receive security alerts about suspicious activities within the cluster, such as a container running with root privileges or attempts to read sensitive host paths. Which Defender for Cloud plan must be enabled to generate these alerts?
Question 5
A security analyst is configuring Microsoft Sentinel scheduled analytics rules to detect brute-force attacks on Microsoft Entra ID. Arrange the steps in the correct order from first to last.
Question 6
An organization uses Microsoft 365 Defender. A security analyst is investigating a malware incident on a user's device. The automated investigation and response (AIR) has already isolated the device from the network. The analyst now needs to collect a copy of a specific suspicious file from the device for further analysis. Which action should the analyst initiate from the device's entity page?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: ipv4_is_in_range(SigninIP, '192.168.0.0/16') — The `ipv4_is_in_range()` function is purpose-built to check if an IPv4 address falls within a specified CIDR range. Other functions are used for prefix matching against a list or for string comparison, none of which efficiently handle CIDR ranges.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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