- A
Delete the virtual machine immediately to stop the ransomware.
Why wrong: Deleting the VM destroys evidence and may not stop lateral movement if other machines are already affected.
- B
Disable the public IP address and apply an NSG rule to block all inbound/outbound traffic to the server's subnet.
This network isolation prevents lateral movement while preserving the VM for forensic analysis.
- C
Change the local administrator password on the VM.
Why wrong: Changing the password does not stop the ransomware process or network communication.
- D
Move the VM to a different virtual network and subnet.
Why wrong: Moving the VM does not block existing network connections and is not immediate.
Question 1,364 of 1,639
SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Cloud. A critical server in Azure was compromised by ransomware. The incident response team needs to ensure that no other resources in the same resource group are affected. What is the most immediate containment action?
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
✓
Disable the public IP address and apply an NSG rule to block all inbound/outbound traffic to the server's subnet.
Option B is correct because the most immediate containment action is to isolate the compromised server's subnet by disabling its public IP and applying an NSG rule that blocks all inbound and outbound traffic. This prevents lateral movement of ransomware to other resources in the same resource group while preserving the VM for forensic analysis. In Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sentinel, network isolation at the subnet level is the fastest way to contain a breach without destroying evidence.
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.
- ✗
Delete the virtual machine immediately to stop the ransomware.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting the VM destroys evidence and may not stop lateral movement if other machines are already affected.
- ✓
Disable the public IP address and apply an NSG rule to block all inbound/outbound traffic to the server's subnet.
Why this is correct
This network isolation prevents lateral movement while preserving the VM for forensic analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Change the local administrator password on the VM.
Why it's wrong here
Changing the password does not stop the ransomware process or network communication.
- ✗
Move the VM to a different virtual network and subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Moving the VM does not block existing network connections and is not immediate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose to delete or move the VM, not realizing that immediate network isolation is the fastest way to contain lateral movement while preserving evidence for investigation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, an NSG rule with priority 100 that denies all inbound and outbound traffic (using '*' for source, destination, and port ranges) overrides any allow rules and immediately drops packets at the Azure host level, effectively isolating the subnet. Disabling the public IP removes the VM's internet-facing endpoint, but the NSG rule is critical for blocking east-west traffic within the virtual network. In a real-world scenario, this containment step should be followed by taking a snapshot of the VM's OS disk for forensic analysis before any remediation.
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
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 public IP address and apply an NSG rule to block all inbound/outbound traffic to the server's subnet. — Option B is correct because the most immediate containment action is to isolate the compromised server's subnet by disabling its public IP and applying an NSG rule that blocks all inbound and outbound traffic. This prevents lateral movement of ransomware to other resources in the same resource group while preserving the VM for forensic analysis. In Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sentinel, network isolation at the subnet level is the fastest way to contain a breach without destroying evidence.
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: Jul 4, 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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