- A
Suspicious domains and URLs.
Domains and URLs are common IOCs.
- B
Vulnerability scan results.
Why wrong: Vulnerability scans identify weaknesses, not IOCs.
- C
File hashes (SHA256) of known malware.
File hashes are common IOCs.
- D
Windows event IDs for successful logins.
Why wrong: Event IDs alone are not IOCs; they require context.
- E
IP addresses of known command and control servers.
C2 IPs are common IOCs.
Question 664 of 1,639
SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which THREE indicators of compromise (IOCs) are commonly used in Microsoft Sentinel to detect advanced persistent threats (APTs)? (Choose THREE.)
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
✓
Suspicious domains and URLs.
Suspicious domains and URLs (Option A) are common IOCs because APTs often use custom domains for command-and-control (C2) communication or phishing. Microsoft Sentinel can ingest threat intelligence feeds and use analytics rules to correlate network logs against these indicators, enabling detection of outbound connections to malicious infrastructure.
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.
- ✓
Suspicious domains and URLs.
Why this is correct
Domains and URLs are common IOCs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Vulnerability scan results.
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability scans identify weaknesses, not IOCs.
- ✓
File hashes (SHA256) of known malware.
Why this is correct
File hashes are common IOCs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Windows event IDs for successful logins.
Why it's wrong here
Event IDs alone are not IOCs; they require context.
- ✓
IP addresses of known command and control servers.
Why this is correct
C2 IPs are common IOCs.
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 confuse vulnerability data (Option B) or routine operational events (Option D) with true IOCs, which must directly indicate a past or ongoing compromise rather than a potential risk or normal behavior.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
File hashes (SHA256) of known malware (Option C) are deterministic IOCs because a hash uniquely identifies a specific file; Sentinel can use TI maps to match against file creation events in Sysmon or Windows Event Logs. IP addresses of known C2 servers (Option E) are classic IOCs; Sentinel's TI integration can cross-reference these with Azure Firewall, DNS, or proxy logs to detect beaconing activity, often using the ASIM normalization schema for consistent parsing.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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?
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: Suspicious domains and URLs. — Suspicious domains and URLs (Option A) are common IOCs because APTs often use custom domains for command-and-control (C2) communication or phishing. Microsoft Sentinel can ingest threat intelligence feeds and use analytics rules to correlate network logs against these indicators, enabling detection of outbound connections to malicious infrastructure.
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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.
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