The answer is to disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID. This is the correct first step to contain a compromised user account because it immediately terminates all access—including active sessions and future authentication attempts—while leaving the account’s forensic data intact for investigation. On the SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the containment phase in incident response, where the priority is stopping the attacker’s lateral movement without destroying evidence. A common trap is choosing “revoke sessions,” which only ends current logins but does not prevent the attacker from re-authenticating, or selecting a broader action like resetting all user passwords, which disrupts the entire environment unnecessarily. Remember, when you need to contain a compromised user account first step is always disable—think “disable first, investigate second.” A helpful memory tip: D.I.D. — Disable, Investigate, Decide.
SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
During an incident response, a security analyst identifies that a user's account was used to access sensitive data from an anomalous location. The analyst needs to immediately prevent further access from that account while preserving forensic data. Which action should the analyst take?
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
✓
Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID.
Disabling the user account in Microsoft Entra ID stops access immediately and preserves data. Option A only revokes sessions; Option C is too broad; Option D affects all users.
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.
✗
Revoke the user's current sessions in Microsoft Entra ID.
Why it's wrong here
Revoking sessions doesn't prevent new sign-ins.
✗
Block the IP address of the anomalous location in the firewall.
Why it's wrong here
The user could still access from other locations.
✓
Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID.
Why this is correct
Disabling the account prevents all access and preserves data.
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.
✗
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the user.
Why it's wrong here
MFA doesn't prevent access if the user has already authenticated.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID. — Disabling the user account in Microsoft Entra ID stops access immediately and preserves data. Option A only revokes sessions; Option C is too broad; Option D affects all users.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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
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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. A security analyst detects a suspicious login from an unusual location for a user in Microsoft Defender XDR. The analyst needs to investigate and contain the incident. Which TWO actions should be taken?
easy
✓ A.Disable the user account from Microsoft Entra ID.
B.Create a custom hunting query in Microsoft 365 Defender advanced hunting.
✓ C.Review the user's sign-in logs and risk level in Microsoft Entra ID Identity Protection.
D.Run an automated investigation playbook.
E.Reset the user's password.
Why A: Disabling the user account (B) immediately stops further access. Using Microsoft Entra ID Identity Protection to confirm risk (C) provides additional context. Investigation playbooks (A) are for automation not immediate containment. Resetting password (D) is less immediate than disabling. Hunting queries (E) are for proactive threat hunting.
Variation 2. A security analyst detects a suspicious sign-in from an unusual location using Microsoft Entra ID. The user has not enabled MFA. Which action should the analyst take first to investigate and potentially contain the incident?
medium
A.Reset the user's password immediately.
B.Enable Conditional Access to block all sign-ins from that location.
✓ C.Disable the user account.
D.Block legacy authentication for the entire tenant.
Why C: Disabling the user account is the immediate containment action to prevent further unauthorized access while investigation proceeds. Resetting password alone doesn't stop current session; blocking legacy auth is a broader action that may break legitimate services; MFA is enabling but not immediate containment.
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Question Discussion
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