The answer is to use Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to suspend the user. This is correct because suspending a user in Defender for Cloud Apps immediately revokes all active access tokens and terminates current sessions for connected cloud apps, including Exchange Online and SharePoint, effectively blocking credential theft from email and cloud apps without deleting the user account. On the SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Microsoft Defender XDR integrates with Defender for Cloud Apps for user remediation, often appearing as a distractor against options like disabling the user in Entra ID or resetting passwords—which are slower or less complete. A common trap is choosing to disable the account in Entra ID, but that only prevents new logins, not active sessions. Remember the memory tip: “Suspend in Defender for Cloud Apps to cut all tokens and sessions fast.”
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. 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.
Your security team uses Microsoft Defender XDR. You need to ensure that a user who is suspected of credential theft is immediately blocked from accessing corporate email and cloud apps, while the investigation continues. What should you do?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to suspend the user
Option B is correct because suspending the user in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps immediately revokes the user's access tokens and active sessions for cloud apps, blocking further access to corporate email and cloud apps without deleting the account. This allows the investigation to continue while the user is isolated, which is the precise requirement for a suspected credential theft scenario.
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 conditional access policy in Microsoft Entra ID to block the user
Why it's wrong here
Conditional access policies are not immediate and may not block existing sessions.
✓
Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to suspend the user
Why this is correct
Suspending the user immediately blocks access to all connected apps.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Disabling takes time to propagate and does not terminate active sessions.
✗
Reset the user's password from Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Resetting password does not revoke active tokens or sessions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'blocking access' with 'disabling the account' or 'resetting the password,' not realizing that immediate token revocation via Defender for Cloud Apps is the only option that stops active sessions without disrupting the user's directory object.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you suspend a user in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, the service sends a signal to the cloud app's API to revoke all active tokens and sessions, effectively logging the user out immediately. This leverages the app's own session management (e.g., Exchange Online's revocation of OAuth tokens) and is faster than waiting for Entra ID conditional access policy evaluation, which relies on the next authentication request. In a real-world credential theft scenario, this immediate token revocation is critical to prevent lateral movement while the SOC investigates the extent of compromise.
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.
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: Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to suspend the user — Option B is correct because suspending the user in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps immediately revokes the user's access tokens and active sessions for cloud apps, blocking further access to corporate email and cloud apps without deleting the account. This allows the investigation to continue while the user is isolated, which is the precise requirement for a suspected credential theft scenario.
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: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
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 →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.