- A
Reset the user's password and revoke active sessions
This invalidates the compromised credentials and terminates current sessions.
- B
Create a Conditional Access policy to block the IP
Why wrong: Policy takes time to propagate; immediate action needed.
- C
Disable the user's account
Why wrong: Effective but more disruptive; resetting is preferred.
- D
Block the source IP address on the firewall
Why wrong: IP blocking is easily bypassed.
Question 1,355 of 1,639
Federated SaaS Account Compromise — Containment Steps
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
You are responding to an incident where a user's credentials were used to access a federated SaaS application from an IP address associated with a known threat actor. The user's account is not disabled. Which action is most effective to prevent further unauthorized access?
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
✓
Reset the user's password and revoke active sessions
Resetting the user's password and revoking active sessions immediately invalidates the compromised credentials and terminates any existing authenticated sessions, including the session used by the threat actor. This directly addresses the root cause—credential compromise—without unnecessarily disrupting the user's account permanently. In a federated SaaS scenario, password reset combined with session revocation ensures the threat actor cannot re-authenticate even if they possess the previous password hash or tokens.
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.
- ✓
Reset the user's password and revoke active sessions
Why this is correct
This invalidates the compromised credentials and terminates current sessions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a Conditional Access policy to block the IP
Why it's wrong here
Policy takes time to propagate; immediate action needed.
- ✗
Disable the user's account
Why it's wrong here
Effective but more disruptive; resetting is preferred.
- ✗
Block the source IP address on the firewall
Why it's wrong here
IP blocking is easily bypassed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose to block the IP (Option B or D) because it seems immediate and technical, but they overlook that the attacker can easily change IPs and that the core issue is credential compromise, not network-level access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In federated identity scenarios (e.g., using SAML or OIDC), the user's session is often maintained via a refresh token or session cookie that persists even after a password reset if not explicitly revoked. The 'revoke sessions' action typically sends a token revocation request to the identity provider (IdP) or clears the user's token cache, ensuring that any bearer tokens or session cookies held by the attacker are invalidated. This is critical because a threat actor who has already authenticated may continue to access the SaaS app until the token expires, which could be hours or days.
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.
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: Reset the user's password and revoke active sessions — Resetting the user's password and revoking active sessions immediately invalidates the compromised credentials and terminates any existing authenticated sessions, including the session used by the threat actor. This directly addresses the root cause—credential compromise—without unnecessarily disrupting the user's account permanently. In a federated SaaS scenario, password reset combined with session revocation ensures the threat actor cannot re-authenticate even if they possess the previous password hash or tokens.
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
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