SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"id": "/subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/rg-sentinel/providers/Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/workspace-sentinel/providers/Microsoft.SecurityInsights/alertRules/5b7c8d9e-...",
"kind": "Scheduled",
"properties": {
"displayName": "RDP brute force success",
"query": "SecurityEvent | where EventID == 4625 | summarize count() by Account, IpAddress, bin(TimeGenerated, 5m) | where count_ > 10",
"queryFrequency": "PT5M",
"queryPeriod": "PT10M",
"triggerOperator": "GreaterThan",
"triggerThreshold": 0,
"severity": "High",
"enabled": true
}
}
```
Refer to the exhibit. A Microsoft Sentinel scheduled rule is configured as shown. The rule generates an alert, but the incident created contains only the first alert, and subsequent alerts do not update the incident. What is the most likely cause?
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.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"id": "/subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/rg-sentinel/providers/Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/workspace-sentinel/providers/Microsoft.SecurityInsights/alertRules/5b7c8d9e-...",
"kind": "Scheduled",
"properties": {
"displayName": "RDP brute force success",
"query": "SecurityEvent | where EventID == 4625 | summarize count() by Account, IpAddress, bin(TimeGenerated, 5m) | where count_ > 10",
"queryFrequency": "PT5M",
"queryPeriod": "PT10M",
"triggerOperator": "GreaterThan",
"triggerThreshold": 0,
"severity": "High",
"enabled": true
}
}
```
A
The triggerOperator and triggerThreshold are misconfigured.
Why wrong: They are correctly set to trigger when count > 0.
B
The KQL query is missing a join to include more data.
Why wrong: The query is designed to count brute force attempts; it does not affect incident grouping.
C
The severity is set to High, which prevents incident updates.
Why wrong: Severity does not affect incident grouping.
D
The rule does not have incident grouping enabled.
Without grouping, each alert becomes a separate incident, so subsequent alerts create new incidents instead of updating the existing one.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The rule does not have incident grouping enabled.
Option D is correct because the exhibit shows the rule is configured to create a single incident from alerts grouped by entities, but the 'Grouping' settings are not enabled. Without incident grouping enabled, each alert generates a separate incident, and subsequent alerts do not update the existing incident. Enabling incident grouping allows alerts matching the same grouping criteria to be merged into the same incident, ensuring updates occur.
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.
✗
The triggerOperator and triggerThreshold are misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
They are correctly set to trigger when count > 0.
✗
The KQL query is missing a join to include more data.
Why it's wrong here
The query is designed to count brute force attempts; it does not affect incident grouping.
✗
The severity is set to High, which prevents incident updates.
Why it's wrong here
Severity does not affect incident grouping.
✓
The rule does not have incident grouping enabled.
Why this is correct
Without grouping, each alert becomes a separate incident, so subsequent alerts create new incidents instead of updating the existing one.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
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 alert grouping (which controls incident creation) with query logic or severity, assuming that a high severity or a missing join would cause the incident not to update, when in fact the root cause is the disabled grouping setting.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Incident grouping in Microsoft Sentinel scheduled rules uses the 'Group alerts into incidents' toggle and the 'Grouping' settings (e.g., 'Group alerts by entities' or 'Group alerts by time window'). When disabled, each alert creates a separate incident, even if they share the same entities. When enabled, alerts within the same time window and matching the grouping criteria are merged into a single incident, with subsequent alerts updating the incident's timeline and details.
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.
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: The rule does not have incident grouping enabled. — Option D is correct because the exhibit shows the rule is configured to create a single incident from alerts grouped by entities, but the 'Grouping' settings are not enabled. Without incident grouping enabled, each alert generates a separate incident, and subsequent alerts do not update the existing incident. Enabling incident grouping allows alerts matching the same grouping criteria to be merged into the same incident, ensuring updates occur.
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", "most likely". 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.
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