easyMultiple Choice
Use EmailAttachmentInfo to Find Emails Containing a Specific SHA256 Hash
A security analyst is investigating a potential phishing campaign and has identified a malicious attachment with a known SHA256 hash. The analyst needs to find all email messages that were delivered to users and contained this exact attachment. Which advanced hunting table should the analyst query to obtain the network message IDs of the relevant emails?
Quick Answer
The answer is the EmailAttachmentInfo table. This is the correct choice because it is the dedicated advanced hunting table in Microsoft 365 that records every attachment on email messages, including its SHA256 hash, file name, and the associated NetworkMessageId. When a security analyst needs to find emails with a specific attachment hash, querying EmailAttachmentInfo with that known SHA256 value directly returns the network message IDs of all delivered messages containing that exact malicious file, enabling a full impact assessment. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your ability to map a specific investigative need to the correct hunting schema, and a common trap is confusing EmailAttachmentInfo with EmailEvents (which logs delivery actions but not attachment hashes) or EmailUrlInfo (which tracks links). A reliable memory tip is to think "Attachment Hash = Attachment Info," so when you need to locate emails by file hash, always start with the table that has "Attachment" in its name.
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse EmailEvents (which has delivery status) with EmailAttachmentInfo (which has attachment hashes), failing to recognize that only the latter contains the SHA256 hash needed to match a known malicious file.
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
✓
EmailAttachmentInfo
The EmailAttachmentInfo table in Microsoft 365 Advanced Hunting contains records of every attachment in email messages, including the SHA256 hash. By querying this table with the known hash, the analyst can retrieve the NetworkMessageId values for all emails that contained that specific malicious attachment, enabling further investigation into delivery and impact.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
EmailEvents
Why it's wrong here
EmailEvents records delivery, sender and recipient metadata but not attachment file hashes, so a SHA256 cannot be matched. EmailAttachmentInfo stores FileHash and NetworkMessageId. EmailEvents suits filtering by sender, subject or delivery action, not locating messages by attachment hash.
- ✓
EmailAttachmentInfo
Why this is correct
EmailAttachmentInfo records each attachment's SHA256 hash alongside the network message ID and recipient, letting the analyst match the known hash and retrieve the corresponding message IDs. This table directly satisfies the requirement to trace delivered emails containing that exact attachment.
- ✗
EmailUrlInfo
Why it's wrong here
EmailUrlInfo holds URLs extracted from messages, keyed to url and network message ID, so it cannot match an attachment SHA256. EmailAttachmentInfo carries file hashes and network message IDs. Query EmailUrlInfo when tracing malicious links in a phishing campaign, not attachment-based hunting.
- ✗
EmailPostDeliveryEvents
Why it's wrong here
EmailPostDeliveryEvents records post-delivery actions such as ZAP and manual remediation, not the delivery metadata holding NetworkMessageId for a SHA256 attachment match. It is tempting because it does reference email events, but EmailEvents is the table that stores delivery details and attachment hashes for hunting.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way 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. A security analyst is investigating a phishing campaign targeting multiple users. The analyst has identified a malicious attachment with a known SHA256 hash. The analyst needs to find all email messages that were delivered to any user and contained this specific attachment. Which advanced hunting table should the analyst query in Microsoft 365 Defender to obtain the message IDs of emails containing the attachment?
medium- A.EmailEvents
- ✓ B.EmailAttachmentInfo
- C.EmailPostDeliveryEvents
- D.DeviceFileEvents
Why B: The EmailAttachmentInfo table in Microsoft 365 Defender advanced hunting contains metadata about attachments on email messages, including the SHA256 hash of each attachment. By querying this table with the known malicious SHA256 hash, the analyst can retrieve the NetworkMessageId values for all emails that contained that specific attachment, regardless of whether the email was delivered or blocked.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.