- A
Anomaly detection policy
Why wrong: Anomaly detection policies detect unusual patterns, not specific activity from anonymous IPs.
- B
File policy
Why wrong: File policies are for monitoring file access and sharing.
- C
Activity policy
Activity policies can monitor and alert on specific user activities based on conditions like IP category and risk score.
- D
App discovery policy
Why wrong: App discovery policies are for discovering cloud apps, not user activities.
Question 1,531 of 1,639
How to Create an Activity Policy in Defender for Cloud Apps for Anonymous IP and Risk Score
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. 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 has Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Sentinel integrated. The security team wants to receive alerts when a user's activity from an anonymous IP address exceeds a certain risk score. What should you configure in Defender for Cloud Apps?
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
✓
Activity policy
Activity policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps allow you to monitor and respond to specific user activities based on conditions such as IP address categories (e.g., anonymous proxy) and risk scores. This policy type can trigger alerts when a user's activity from an anonymous IP address exceeds a defined risk score threshold, meeting the security team's requirement.
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.
- ✗
Anomaly detection policy
Why it's wrong here
Anomaly detection policies detect unusual patterns, not specific activity from anonymous IPs.
- ✗
File policy
Why it's wrong here
File policies are for monitoring file access and sharing.
- ✓
Activity policy
Why this is correct
Activity policies can monitor and alert on specific user activities based on conditions like IP category and risk score.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
App discovery policy
Why it's wrong here
App discovery policies are for discovering cloud apps, not user activities.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse anomaly detection policies (which detect behavioral anomalies) with activity policies (which allow explicit condition-based filtering), leading them to select Option A incorrectly.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Activity policies in Defender for Cloud Apps leverage the Cloud App Security (CAS) proxy to inspect real-time user activities, allowing granular conditions such as IP address tags (e.g., 'Anonymous proxy' or 'Tor') and risk score thresholds (0-10). The risk score is calculated based on multiple factors like the user's past behavior and the IP's reputation, and the policy can trigger automated actions like suspending the user or requiring multi-factor authentication. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for detecting credential theft or unauthorized access attempts where attackers use anonymizing services to evade detection.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Activity policy — Activity policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps allow you to monitor and respond to specific user activities based on conditions such as IP address categories (e.g., anonymous proxy) and risk scores. This policy type can trigger alerts when a user's activity from an anonymous IP address exceeds a defined risk score threshold, meeting the security team's requirement.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on SC-200
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your SOC uses Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to configure a policy that triggers when a user downloads a large number of files from SharePoint Online within a short period. Which policy type should you use?
easy- A.Session policy
- B.File policy
- C.Anomaly detection policy
- ✓ D.Activity policy
Why D: An activity policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is designed to monitor and respond to specific user activities, such as downloading a large number of files from SharePoint Online within a short period. This policy type allows you to set thresholds and triggers based on user actions, making it the correct choice for detecting anomalous download behavior.
Variation 2. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to receive alerts when a user accesses a cloud app from a location that is not whitelisted. What should you configure?
medium- A.Create a conditional access policy in Microsoft Entra ID.
- B.Set up a session policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
- C.Configure an access policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
- ✓ D.Create an activity policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
Why D: Option D is correct because an activity policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps monitors user activities and can trigger alerts based on specific conditions, such as access from non-whitelisted locations. This policy type evaluates activities against defined criteria (e.g., IP address ranges) and generates alerts without blocking access, which matches the requirement to receive alerts.
Variation 3. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to create a policy that alerts when a user downloads more than 10 files from SharePoint in 5 minutes. What type of policy should you create?
medium- ✓ A.Activity policy
- B.App permissions policy
- C.Session policy
- D.Anomaly detection policy
Why A: An Activity policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is designed to monitor and respond to specific user activities, such as file downloads from SharePoint, based on predefined thresholds. By configuring the policy with a threshold of more than 10 downloads within 5 minutes, it triggers an alert when the activity exceeds this limit, enabling detection of potential data exfiltration or anomalous user behavior.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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