- A
The VM must have the Guest Configuration extension installed.
Why wrong: Guest Configuration extension is used for Azure Policy inside VMs, not for AAC. AAC uses the Log Analytics agent or Azure Monitor Agent to collect application inventory.
- B
A valid Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 2 license must be assigned to the VM.
Why wrong: Defender for Cloud (with Defender for Servers Plan 2) is required for AAC. But that's already in place if AAC is enabled. The specific pre-requisite for enforce mode is having a baseline from audit mode.
- C
The VM must have a baseline of allowed applications generated from at least two weeks of audit data.
Correct. AAC requires a baseline of known good applications from audit mode before enforcement can block unapproved applications.
- D
The VM must be running on a supported operating system like Windows Server 2016 or later.
Why wrong: Supported OS is a general requirement to enable AAC, but not specific to switching to enforcement mode. The key is baseline availability.
Quick Answer
The prerequisite that must be met before switching to Enforce mode is that the VM must have a baseline of allowed applications generated from at least two weeks of audit data. This requirement exists because Adaptive Application Controls rely on machine learning to analyze historical audit logs and distinguish trusted from anomalous processes; without a full two-week baseline, the algorithm lacks sufficient data to build a reliable allowlist, risking the blocking of legitimate applications. On the SC-200 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the enforcement lifecycle in Microsoft Defender for Cloud, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly think one week of audit data is enough. A common trap is assuming Audit mode immediately enables enforcement, but Microsoft mandates the two-week window to minimize false positives in production environments. Remember the memory tip: “Two weeks to tweak, then enforce the force”—the baseline period is exactly fourteen days, not seven.
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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 using Microsoft Defender for Cloud's adaptive application controls (AAC) to allowlist trusted applications on Azure VMs. After enabling AAC and running in 'Audit' mode for a week, the analyst wants to switch to 'Enforce' mode. Which pre-requisite must be met before enforcement can be applied?
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
The VM must have a baseline of allowed applications generated from at least two weeks of audit data.
Adaptive application controls require a minimum of two weeks of audit data to establish a reliable baseline of allowed applications before enforcement can be applied. This baseline ensures that legitimate applications are not blocked when switching from Audit to Enforce mode, reducing false positives and operational disruptions.
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.
- ✗
The VM must have the Guest Configuration extension installed.
Why it's wrong here
Guest Configuration extension is used for Azure Policy inside VMs, not for AAC. AAC uses the Log Analytics agent or Azure Monitor Agent to collect application inventory.
- ✗
A valid Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 2 license must be assigned to the VM.
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Cloud (with Defender for Servers Plan 2) is required for AAC. But that's already in place if AAC is enabled. The specific pre-requisite for enforce mode is having a baseline from audit mode.
- ✓
The VM must have a baseline of allowed applications generated from at least two weeks of audit data.
Why this is correct
Correct. AAC requires a baseline of known good applications from audit mode before enforcement can block unapproved applications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The VM must be running on a supported operating system like Windows Server 2016 or later.
Why it's wrong here
Supported OS is a general requirement to enable AAC, but not specific to switching to enforcement mode. The key is baseline availability.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume any supported OS or license is sufficient, but Microsoft specifically requires the two-week audit baseline to prevent enforcement from blocking legitimate applications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Adaptive application controls leverage machine learning to analyze audit logs from Windows Event ID 4688 and Sysmon events to build a whitelist of known-safe executables. The two-week audit period is critical because it captures application usage patterns across different workloads and update cycles, ensuring the baseline includes all legitimate software before enforcement begins. Without this baseline, enforcement could block critical system processes or line-of-business applications, causing service outages.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
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: The VM must have a baseline of allowed applications generated from at least two weeks of audit data. — Adaptive application controls require a minimum of two weeks of audit data to establish a reliable baseline of allowed applications before enforcement can be applied. This baseline ensures that legitimate applications are not blocked when switching from Audit to Enforce mode, reducing false positives and operational disruptions.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SC-200 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-200 exam.
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