The answer is to configure automated investigation and response (AIR) policies. This is correct because AIR policies in Defender for Office 365 use predefined playbooks to automatically detect, investigate, and remediate malicious emails that have bypassed the initial filter, taking actions like soft-deleting or moving messages to quarantine without requiring manual intervention. On the SC-200 exam, this concept tests your understanding of how to close the gap in email security when phishing threats evade first-line defenses—a common trap is confusing AIR with simple mailbox rules or manual remediation steps. Remember the mnemonic “AIR catches what filters miss” to link auto-remediate bypassed phishing directly to automated investigation and response.
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company uses Microsoft Defender for Office 365. You want to automatically take action on malicious emails that bypass the filter. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure automated investigation and response (AIR) policies.
Automated investigation and response (AIR) policies in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are specifically designed to automatically take action on malicious emails that bypass initial filters. AIR uses playbooks to investigate threats and automatically remediate, such as deleting or moving emails, without manual intervention. This directly addresses the requirement to automatically act on bypassed malicious emails.
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.
✗
Enable anti-phishing policy.
Why it's wrong here
Anti-phishing policies prevent phishing but do not auto-remediate.
✗
Enable Safe Attachments policy.
Why it's wrong here
Safe Attachments protects against malicious attachments but does not automate response.
✗
Create a transport rule in Exchange.
Why it's wrong here
Transport rules are manual and not automated response.
✓
Configure automated investigation and response (AIR) policies.
Why this is correct
AIR automatically remediates threats like malicious emails.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse pre-delivery protection policies (like anti-phishing or Safe Attachments) with post-delivery automated response capabilities, assuming any security policy can automatically act on bypassed emails, but only AIR provides the automated investigation and remediation workflow for threats that have already evaded initial filters.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AIR in Defender for Office 365 leverages machine learning and threat intelligence to automatically trigger investigations when a malicious email is detected post-delivery, such as through user reporting or zero-hour auto purge. The response actions can include soft-deleting the email from all mailboxes, blocking the sender, and creating incident records in Microsoft 365 Defender. This is distinct from pre-delivery policies like anti-phishing or Safe Attachments, which operate before the email reaches the inbox.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: Configure automated investigation and response (AIR) policies. — Automated investigation and response (AIR) policies in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are specifically designed to automatically take action on malicious emails that bypass initial filters. AIR uses playbooks to investigate threats and automatically remediate, such as deleting or moving emails, without manual intervention. This directly addresses the requirement to automatically act on bypassed malicious emails.
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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Question Discussion
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