- A
Block the unapproved cloud storage app
Blocking the app prevents further uploads.
- B
Suspend the user's account
Suspending the account stops the user from accessing resources.
- C
Notify the user about the policy violation
Why wrong: Notification is secondary to containment.
- D
Initiate a legal hold on the user's data
Why wrong: Legal hold is for eDiscovery, not immediate containment.
Question 551 of 1,639
Containing Data Exfiltration During Ransomware
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 a ransomware incident, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps alerts indicate that a user is uploading large volumes of data to an external cloud storage provider not approved by your organization. Which two actions should you take first? (Choose two.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
✓
Block the unapproved cloud storage app
Option A is correct because blocking the unapproved cloud storage app in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps immediately stops the ongoing data exfiltration by preventing further uploads to that external provider. This is a direct, real-time containment action that leverages Defender for Cloud Apps's app governance and conditional access controls to enforce organizational policies without disrupting the user's access to other resources.
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.
- ✓
Block the unapproved cloud storage app
Why this is correct
Blocking the app prevents further uploads.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Suspend the user's account
Why this is correct
Suspending the account stops the user from accessing resources.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Notify the user about the policy violation
Why it's wrong here
Notification is secondary to containment.
- ✗
Initiate a legal hold on the user's data
Why it's wrong here
Legal hold is for eDiscovery, not immediate containment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose only one containment action (e.g., blocking the app) and overlook the need to also suspend the user account, failing to recognize that the user may continue exfiltration via other unapproved apps or methods if only the app is blocked.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps uses the Cloud App Security Broker (CASB) proxy to inspect traffic via reverse proxy or API connectors; blocking the app triggers a conditional access policy that revokes the session token or denies the HTTP request at the proxy level, effectively terminating the upload in real time. In a real-world scenario, if the user is compromised via a phishing attack, blocking the app prevents the attacker from exfiltrating data while the account is suspended, but suspending the account (Option B) also stops all access, including legitimate use, so both actions are needed for complete containment.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Respond to security incidents — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Respond to security incidents practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SC-200 questions
1,639 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft Security Operations Analyst SC-200 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SC-200 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SC-200 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Manage a security operations environment practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Manage a security operations environment.
Respond to security incidents practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Respond to security incidents.
Perform threat hunting practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Perform threat hunting.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel.
SC-200 fundamentals practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 fundamentals.
SC-200 scenario practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 scenario.
SC-200 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free SC-200 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Block the unapproved cloud storage app — Option A is correct because blocking the unapproved cloud storage app in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps immediately stops the ongoing data exfiltration by preventing further uploads to that external provider. This is a direct, real-time containment action that leverages Defender for Cloud Apps's app governance and conditional access controls to enforce organizational policies without disrupting the user's access to other resources.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 →
Keep practising
More SC-200 practice questions
- Which TWO are valid sources of evidence in a Microsoft Sentinel incident? (Choose two.)
- An organization uses Microsoft 365 Defender. During an incident, the analyst wants to automatically isolate a compromise…
- Which THREE steps are part of the incident response process when using Microsoft Sentinel?
- Refer to the exhibit. You are reviewing a Microsoft Sentinel scheduled analytics rule configured as above. An incident w…
- A security analyst is preparing to use a Jupyter notebook for threat hunting in Microsoft Sentinel. Which of the followi…
- You are investigating a ransomware incident in Microsoft Sentinel. The incident contains multiple alerts. You need to gr…
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.
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.