- A
Enable the Defender for Servers plan and configure auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution.
This enables built-in VA and automatically deploys it to all supported VMs.
- B
Manually install the Log Analytics agent and then configure vulnerability assessment on each VM.
Why wrong: Manual installation is not scalable and not recommended for large environments.
- C
Use Azure Policy to assign the built-in initiative that deploys the vulnerability assessment solution and associates it with VMs.
Why wrong: While a policy can deploy VA, the recommended first step is to enable the Defender for Servers plan; the policy is typically used for compliance enforcement after the plan is enabled.
- D
Enable Azure Security Center's free tier and manually download the vulnerability assessment tool.
Why wrong: The free tier does not include vulnerability assessment capabilities.
Quick Answer
The answer is to enable the Defender for Servers plan and configure auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution. This is correct because enabling the Defender for Servers plan activates the integrated Qualys or Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management solution, and auto-provisioning ensures the necessary extension is deployed to all existing and future Azure VMs without manual intervention. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Defender for Cloud automates vulnerability assessment at scale, often appearing as a scenario where you must choose between manual deployment and plan-level automation. A common trap is selecting a per-VM configuration, which fails to cover future resources. Remember the key: plan-level enablement plus auto-provisioning equals continuous, future-proof coverage. A useful memory tip is “Plan first, auto-provision for the long term”—if you set the plan, the scanning follows.
SC-200 Practice Question: Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender for cloud. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization wants to enable vulnerability assessment for all Azure virtual machines, including future ones, using the integrated Qualys or Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management solution. What is the recommended approach in Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
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 the Defender for Servers plan and configure auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution.
The recommended approach is to enable the Defender for Servers plan, which automatically provisions the integrated vulnerability assessment solution (Qualys or Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management) on all existing and future Azure VMs. This ensures continuous scanning without manual intervention, leveraging auto-provisioning to deploy the necessary extension.
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 the Defender for Servers plan and configure auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution.
Why this is correct
This enables built-in VA and automatically deploys it to all supported VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Manually install the Log Analytics agent and then configure vulnerability assessment on each VM.
Why it's wrong here
Manual installation is not scalable and not recommended for large environments.
- ✗
Use Azure Policy to assign the built-in initiative that deploys the vulnerability assessment solution and associates it with VMs.
Why it's wrong here
While a policy can deploy VA, the recommended first step is to enable the Defender for Servers plan; the policy is typically used for compliance enforcement after the plan is enabled.
- ✗
Enable Azure Security Center's free tier and manually download the vulnerability assessment tool.
Why it's wrong here
The free tier does not include vulnerability assessment capabilities.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Policy with the primary deployment mechanism, but the correct approach requires enabling the Defender for Servers plan first, as the policy initiative is dependent on that plan being active.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, enabling the Defender for Servers plan triggers the deployment of the Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management extension or Qualys agent via the 'Auto Provisioning' settings in Defender for Cloud. This extension communicates with the backend scanning service using TLS 1.2, and the results are ingested into the Security Center dashboard. In a real-world scenario, if a new VM is created via ARM template or Azure CLI, auto-provisioning ensures the extension is installed within minutes, avoiding gaps in coverage.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud 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
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.
Manage a security operations environment practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Manage a security operations environment.
Respond to security incidents practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Respond to security incidents.
Perform threat hunting practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Perform threat hunting.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender XDR.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to Mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel.
SC-200 fundamentals practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 fundamentals.
SC-200 scenario practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 scenario.
SC-200 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise SC-200 questions linked to SC-200 troubleshooting.
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?
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable the Defender for Servers plan and configure auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution. — The recommended approach is to enable the Defender for Servers plan, which automatically provisions the integrated vulnerability assessment solution (Qualys or Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management) on all existing and future Azure VMs. This ensures continuous scanning without manual intervention, leveraging auto-provisioning to deploy the necessary extension.
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 →
Keep practising
More SC-200 practice questions
- An organization uses Microsoft 365 Defender. During an incident, the analyst wants to automatically isolate a compromise…
- A security analyst is preparing to use a Jupyter notebook for threat hunting in Microsoft Sentinel. Which of the followi…
- An organization has enabled enhanced security features for a hybrid infrastructure including SQL servers on-premises and…
- A phishing email was delivered to several users. The analyst wants to find all messages in the campaign, see delivery ac…
- A company uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud and wants to automatically ensure that all Azure virtual machines have a spe…
- A company uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud and wants to automatically remediate non-compliant Azure resources by deploy…
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.