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. 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.
A security administrator wants to ensure that all existing and future Azure virtual machines have Microsoft Defender for Cloud's built-in vulnerability assessment solution (Qualys or Microsoft) installed without manual intervention. Which feature should the administrator configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution
Auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution ensures that Microsoft Defender for Cloud automatically installs either the Qualys or Microsoft built-in vulnerability assessment extension on all existing and future Azure VMs without manual intervention. This feature is specifically designed to enable continuous vulnerability scanning by deploying the agent at scale, covering both new and existing resources as they are provisioned or discovered.
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.
✗
Continuous export of security findings to Log Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Continuous export sends data to a workspace, but does not install the VA solution on VMs.
✓
Auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution
Why this is correct
Auto-provisioning automatically installs the VA agent (Microsoft or Qualys) to all existing and new VMs, ensuring continuous coverage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Just-in-time VM access
Why it's wrong here
Just-in-time access controls management ports, not vulnerability assessment.
✗
Regulatory compliance dashboard
Why it's wrong here
The dashboard displays compliance status but does not deploy solutions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'continuous export' (which sends data after the agent is installed) with 'auto-provisioning' (which actually installs the agent), leading them to select Option A thinking it automates the deployment process.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, auto-provisioning uses Azure Policy to deploy the vulnerability assessment extension (either the Qualys agent or Microsoft's built-in agent) to all supported VMs. The extension integrates with the VM's operating system to perform authenticated scans, and findings are automatically ingested into Defender for Cloud's security alerts and recommendations. A subtle behavior is that auto-provisioning can be configured to apply to both existing and future VMs via the 'Enable all' toggle, and it respects exclusion tags to skip specific resources if needed.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
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: Auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution — Auto-provisioning of the vulnerability assessment solution ensures that Microsoft Defender for Cloud automatically installs either the Qualys or Microsoft built-in vulnerability assessment extension on all existing and future Azure VMs without manual intervention. This feature is specifically designed to enable continuous vulnerability scanning by deploying the agent at scale, covering both new and existing resources as they are provisioned or discovered.
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.
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Question Discussion
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