- A
Govern the user by suspending their account.
Why wrong: Suspending without investigation could block legitimate activity.
- B
Review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps.
Reviewing activity logs helps understand the context of the downloads.
- C
Create a new IP address range for the organization.
Why wrong: Creating IP ranges is a configuration task, not an investigation step.
- D
Block the SharePoint Online app for all users in Defender for Cloud Apps.
Why wrong: Blocking the app for all users is too disruptive without investigation.
Question 1,038 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. An alert indicates that a user is downloading large amounts of data from SharePoint Online. What should you do first to investigate?
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.
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
✓
Review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps.
The first step in investigating a potential data exfiltration alert is to review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps. This log provides granular details about the specific files downloaded, the volume of data, the time frame, and the source IP address, allowing you to validate whether the activity is anomalous or legitimate before taking any restrictive action.
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.
- ✗
Govern the user by suspending their account.
Why it's wrong here
Suspending without investigation could block legitimate activity.
- ✓
Review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps.
Why this is correct
Reviewing activity logs helps understand the context of the downloads.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a new IP address range for the organization.
Why it's wrong here
Creating IP ranges is a configuration task, not an investigation step.
- ✗
Block the SharePoint Online app for all users in Defender for Cloud Apps.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking the app for all users is too disruptive without investigation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse immediate governance actions (like suspending or blocking) with the proper investigative first step, failing to recognize that Defender for Cloud Apps requires log review to confirm the alert's validity before applying any automated or manual response.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Defender for Cloud Apps logs user activities via the Microsoft 365 audit log and its own activity log, capturing details such as the 'FileDownloaded' event, file size, and the 'UserAgent' string. Under the hood, the platform uses machine learning to establish a baseline of normal user behavior (e.g., typical download volume per hour) and triggers alerts when deviations exceed a threshold, such as a single user downloading 100 GB in 10 minutes. In a real-world scenario, a user might be legitimately syncing a large project folder via OneDrive sync client, and reviewing the activity log would reveal the specific file names and sync context, preventing a false positive from escalating.
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.
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.
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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: Review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps. — The first step in investigating a potential data exfiltration alert is to review the user's activity log in Defender for Cloud Apps. This log provides granular details about the specific files downloaded, the volume of data, the time frame, and the source IP address, allowing you to validate whether the activity is anomalous or legitimate before taking any restrictive action.
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". 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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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