Quick Answer
The answer is the DeviceProcessEvents table. This is the correct choice because it is the dedicated schema in Microsoft 365 Defender’s advanced hunting that captures every process creation event, including the full command line arguments used to launch each process. For a security analyst investigating a malware incident, this table directly provides the necessary visibility into which processes were spawned and how they were executed, making it essential for tracing malicious behavior like payload execution or script-based attacks. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your ability to map a specific hunting scenario to the correct table, often with traps like confusing DeviceProcessEvents with DeviceEvents or DeviceNetworkEvents. A common memory tip is to think of “Process” in the table name as the key—if you need to see what ran and how it ran, DeviceProcessEvents is your go-to. Remember the mnemonic: “Processes have Parents and Commands,” so always pick the table with “Process” in its name when command-line details are required.
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender xdr. 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.
A security analyst is investigating a malware incident on an endpoint using Microsoft 365 Defender. The analyst wants to see all processes that were created on the device in the last hour, including the command line arguments. Which advanced hunting table should they query?
DeviceProcessEvents
This table records process creation events, including the full command line arguments.
DeviceNetworkEvents
Why wrong: This table stores network connection events, not process creation.
DeviceFileEvents
Why wrong: This table contains file system events such as creation, modification, and deletion of files.
DeviceRegistryEvents
Why wrong: This table records changes to the Windows registry, not process creation.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
DeviceProcessEvents
The DeviceProcessEvents table in Microsoft 365 Defender's advanced hunting schema captures process creation events, including the command line arguments used to start each process. This directly meets the analyst's need to see all processes created in the last hour with their command-line details, making it the correct table for investigating malware that spawns processes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
DeviceProcessEvents
Why this is correct
This table records process creation events, including the full command line arguments.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
DeviceNetworkEvents
Why it's wrong here
This table stores network connection events, not process creation.
DeviceFileEvents
Why it's wrong here
This table contains file system events such as creation, modification, and deletion of files.
DeviceRegistryEvents
Why it's wrong here
This table records changes to the Windows registry, not process creation.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse process creation events with network or file events, mistakenly choosing DeviceNetworkEvents or DeviceFileEvents because they associate malware with network traffic or file drops, rather than recognizing that command-line arguments are exclusively stored in DeviceProcessEvents.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, DeviceProcessEvents is populated by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's sensor, which hooks into the Windows kernel to capture process creation via ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) events like EventID 4688 (Process Creation) with command-line details. In a real-world scenario, an analyst hunting for a malware dropper like Emotet would query this table for suspicious command lines (e.g., powershell.exe -enc ...) to trace lateral movement, whereas DeviceNetworkEvents would only show the subsequent C2 traffic.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR 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
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Manage a security operations environment.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Respond to security incidents.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Perform threat hunting.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 fundamentals.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 scenario.
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: DeviceProcessEvents — The DeviceProcessEvents table in Microsoft 365 Defender's advanced hunting schema captures process creation events, including the command line arguments used to start each process. This directly meets the analyst's need to see all processes created in the last hour with their command-line details, making it the correct table for investigating malware that spawns processes.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An analyst wants to find all devices that have run a specific process named 'malware.exe' in the last 24 hours using Microsoft 365 Defender Advanced Hunting. Which table should be the primary source for this query?
easyWhy A: The DeviceProcessEvents table in Microsoft 365 Defender Advanced Hunting is the primary source for querying process creation events, including the execution of a specific process name like 'malware.exe'. This table captures process creation and termination events, making it the correct choice for finding devices that have run a specific process within a given time frame.
Keep practising
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.