Question 1,025 of 1,639

Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct approach is to create a custom detection rule using an advanced hunting query that joins DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents, then schedule it in Microsoft 365 Defender. This is necessary because the requirement involves correlating two distinct events across different devices—a file created on one machine and a process executed on another—which demands a multi-table join using a common indicator like the attacker’s file hash. On the SC-200 exam, this tests your understanding that custom detection rules are built from scheduled advanced hunting queries, not from simple alert rules or playbooks, and the common trap is choosing a single-table query that cannot correlate events across devices. Remember that multi-device, multi-event correlation always requires a JOIN between tables like DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents. Memory tip: “File creates, Process executes—JOIN them to detect the nexus.”

SC-200 Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR Practice Question

This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender xdr. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 security analyst is investigating a sophisticated attack that involved multiple devices. The analyst needs to create a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender that triggers when a process with a specific SHA256 hash is executed on any device AFTER an attacker-controlled file is created on another device. Which approach should the analyst use to build this detection?

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Create a custom detection rule using an advanced hunting query that joins DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents, and schedule it in Microsoft 365 Defender.
Correct. Custom detection rules allow complex multi-table and multi-device correlations using KQL, and they can alert when specific sequences occur, such as a file creation followed by process execution.
B
Use the Microsoft 365 Defender incident creation rule to generate an incident when the behavior is observed.
Why wrong: Incident creation rules automatically create incidents from alerts; they do not allow defining custom detection logic from scratch.
C
Use Microsoft Sentinel analytics rules with a data connector to Microsoft 365 Defender.
Why wrong: While Sentinel can ingest M365D data, the native custom detection capability in Microsoft 365 Defender is more direct for endpoint-focused cross-device detections.
D
Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud's workload protection alerts.
Why wrong: Defender for Cloud is for cloud workloads (VMs, SQL, etc.) and does not process endpoint process events at the level needed for this cross-device detection.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create a custom detection rule using an advanced hunting query that joins DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents, and schedule it in Microsoft 365 Defender.

Option A is correct because the requirement is to correlate two distinct events (file creation on one device and process execution on another) across time and devices. An advanced hunting query in Microsoft 365 Defender can join DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents tables using a common indicator (e.g., attacker-controlled file hash) and schedule the query as a custom detection rule. This is the only native Microsoft 365 Defender approach that supports multi-device, multi-event correlation with scheduled evaluation.

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.

✓
Create a custom detection rule using an advanced hunting query that joins DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents, and schedule it in Microsoft 365 Defender.
Why this is correct
Correct. Custom detection rules allow complex multi-table and multi-device correlations using KQL, and they can alert when specific sequences occur, such as a file creation followed by process execution.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use the Microsoft 365 Defender incident creation rule to generate an incident when the behavior is observed.
Why it's wrong here
Incident creation rules automatically create incidents from alerts; they do not allow defining custom detection logic from scratch.
✗
Use Microsoft Sentinel analytics rules with a data connector to Microsoft 365 Defender.
Why it's wrong here
While Sentinel can ingest M365D data, the native custom detection capability in Microsoft 365 Defender is more direct for endpoint-focused cross-device detections.
✗
Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud's workload protection alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Cloud is for cloud workloads (VMs, SQL, etc.) and does not process endpoint process events at the level needed for this cross-device detection.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse incident creation rules (which only react to existing alerts) with custom detection rules (which can query raw telemetry), leading them to select Option B despite its inability to perform cross-table joins.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, the custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender uses Kusto Query Language (KQL) to join DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents on the SHA256 hash, with a time window (e.g., between 5 minutes and 24 hours) to enforce the 'after' condition. The scheduled query runs every few minutes and generates alerts only when the join produces results, enabling detection of multi-stage attacks like initial access via phishing followed by lateral movement. A subtle behavior is that the rule must use a left anti-join or a time-bound inner join to avoid false positives from benign file creations.

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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-200 question test?

Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create a custom detection rule using an advanced hunting query that joins DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents, and schedule it in Microsoft 365 Defender. — Option A is correct because the requirement is to correlate two distinct events (file creation on one device and process execution on another) across time and devices. An advanced hunting query in Microsoft 365 Defender can join DeviceFileEvents and DeviceProcessEvents tables using a common indicator (e.g., attacker-controlled file hash) and schedule the query as a custom detection rule. This is the only native Microsoft 365 Defender approach that supports multi-device, multi-event correlation with scheduled evaluation.

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.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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