Question 1,137 of 1,639
Perform threat huntinghardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SC-200 Perform threat hunting Practice Question

This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of perform threat hunting. 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.

You are a security operations analyst at a company that uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (now part of Microsoft Defender XDR) and Microsoft Sentinel. During a threat hunt, you suspect that an attacker may be using a compromised user account to access sensitive data in SharePoint Online from an unusual location. You have Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps logs integrated into Sentinel. The log schema includes fields: TimeGenerated, UserId, AppName, ActivityType, IPAddress, Location, ObjectId (the document ID). You need to write a KQL query that returns a list of users who accessed the same sensitive document (ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123') from more than 3 unique IP addresses in the last hour, which could indicate a distributed access pattern. Which KQL query should you use?

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

CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123' | summarize dcount(IPAddress) by UserId | where dcount_IPAddress > 3

Option A correctly filters CloudAppEvents for the last hour and the specific sensitive document (ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123'), then summarizes the distinct count of IP addresses per user, filtering for users with more than 3 unique IPs. This identifies distributed access by a single user. Option B uses a 24-hour time range instead of 1 hour, which may include legitimate historical access and is not limited to the last hour. Option C does not filter for the specific document, so it returns users who accessed any document from many IPs. Option D uses count() to count the number of log entries per (UserId, IPAddress) and filters for groups with more than 3 entries, which does not count unique IPs per user and may return users with many repeated accesses from the same IP.

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.

  • CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123' | summarize dcount(IPAddress) by UserId | where dcount_IPAddress > 3

    Why this is correct

    Correct. Filters for the sensitive document in the last hour, summarizes distinct IPs per user, and keeps users with more than 3 unique IPs.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(24h) | where ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123' | summarize dcount(IPAddress) by UserId | where dcount_IPAddress > 3

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Uses a 24-hour time range (`ago(24h)`) instead of the required last hour, which may include irrelevant historical data.

  • CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | summarize dcount(IPAddress) by UserId | where dcount_IPAddress > 3

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Does not filter for the specific sensitive document (`ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123'`), so it returns users with high unique IP counts across all documents.

  • CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123' | summarize count() by UserId, IPAddress | where count_ > 3

    Why it's wrong here

    Incorrect. Uses `count()` on groups by UserId and IPAddress, which counts entries per IP, not unique IPs per user. It also does not ensure more than 3 unique IPs.

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 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 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.

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.

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?

Perform threat hunting — This question tests Perform threat hunting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: CloudAppEvents | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123' | summarize dcount(IPAddress) by UserId | where dcount_IPAddress > 3 — Option A correctly filters CloudAppEvents for the last hour and the specific sensitive document (ObjectId == 'SensitiveDocument123'), then summarizes the distinct count of IP addresses per user, filtering for users with more than 3 unique IPs. This identifies distributed access by a single user. Option B uses a 24-hour time range instead of 1 hour, which may include legitimate historical access and is not limited to the last hour. Option C does not filter for the specific document, so it returns users who accessed any document from many IPs. Option D uses count() to count the number of log entries per (UserId, IPAddress) and filters for groups with more than 3 entries, which does not count unique IPs per user and may return users with many repeated accesses from the same IP.

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.

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

More SC-200 practice questions

Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026

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.

Loading comments…

Sign in to join the discussion.

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.