- A
Configure the Action center settings.
Why wrong: Action center is for pending actions, not enabling automated investigations.
- B
Create custom indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Why wrong: IOCs are for detection, not automated investigation triggers.
- C
Use threat analytics to trigger investigations.
Why wrong: Threat analytics provides threat intelligence, not investigation automation.
- D
Enable automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
This setting enables automatic investigation on alerts.
Question 1,243 of 1,639
How to Enable Automated Investigation on Malware Alerts in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
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 organization uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. You need to ensure that when a malware alert is generated, an automated investigation is triggered. What should you configure?
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
✓
Enable automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
Option D is correct because enabling automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal is the specific configuration that triggers an automated investigation when a malware alert is generated by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This feature allows the security operations team to define the automation level (e.g., full, semi, or no automation) for alerts, ensuring that when a malware alert fires, the system automatically initiates an investigation to contain and remediate the threat without manual intervention.
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.
- ✗
Configure the Action center settings.
Why it's wrong here
Action center is for pending actions, not enabling automated investigations.
- ✗
Create custom indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Why it's wrong here
IOCs are for detection, not automated investigation triggers.
- ✗
Use threat analytics to trigger investigations.
Why it's wrong here
Threat analytics provides threat intelligence, not investigation automation.
- ✓
Enable automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
Why this is correct
This setting enables automatic investigation on alerts.
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 the Action center (which handles post-investigation remediation actions) with the automated investigation configuration itself, leading them to select Option A, when in fact the trigger is controlled by the automation level settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal under 'Automated investigation and remediation'.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, enabling automated investigation and remediation sets the device group's automation level, which determines how Microsoft Defender for Endpoint responds to alerts. For example, setting the automation level to 'Full - remediate threats automatically' means that when a malware alert is triggered, the system will automatically run playbooks that isolate the device, kill processes, or quarantine files based on the alert's severity and confidence. A subtle behavior is that if the automation level is set to 'Semi - require approval for any remediation', the investigation runs automatically but any remediation action (e.g., file quarantine) will be pending in the Action center until an analyst approves it, which can delay response in high-volume incidents.
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.
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?
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: Enable automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. — Option D is correct because enabling automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal is the specific configuration that triggers an automated investigation when a malware alert is generated by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This feature allows the security operations team to define the automation level (e.g., full, semi, or no automation) for alerts, ensuring that when a malware alert fires, the system automatically initiates an investigation to contain and remediate the threat without manual intervention.
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.
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
1 more ways this is tested on SC-200
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. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. You need to ensure that when a high severity alert is generated, an automated investigation is launched immediately. What is the correct configuration?
easy- A.Create a custom indicator in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
- B.Use advanced hunting to create a custom detection rule.
- C.In Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, set up an alert suppression rule.
- ✓ D.In Microsoft 365 Defender, configure automated investigation and response settings to automatically investigate alerts.
Why D: Option D is correct because Microsoft 365 Defender's automated investigation and response (AIR) capabilities allow you to configure automatic investigation for alerts of specific severity levels. By enabling this setting for high severity alerts, Defender for Endpoint will immediately launch an investigation when such an alert is generated, without requiring manual intervention.
Keep practising
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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