- A
Create a custom detection rule to alert on similar processes.
Why wrong: This is proactive, not investigative.
- B
Run a vulnerability assessment scan on the VM.
Why wrong: Vulnerability scanning does not investigate processes.
- C
Initiate a live response session on the VM from Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Live response provides real-time investigation capabilities.
- D
Initiate an automated investigation on the VM.
Why wrong: Automated investigation is for incident response, not ad-hoc.
Question 1,177 of 1,639
How to Investigate a Suspicious Process on a VM with Defender for Cloud Live Response
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud. You receive a security alert about a suspicious process on a virtual machine. You want to investigate the process further. What should you do?
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
✓
Initiate a live response session on the VM from Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Option C is correct because Microsoft Defender for Cloud's live response capability allows you to remotely connect to a VM and perform real-time forensic actions, such as running commands, examining running processes, and collecting artifacts. This is the most direct way to investigate a suspicious process on a specific VM, as it provides interactive access without needing to install additional agents or reboot the machine.
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.
- ✗
Create a custom detection rule to alert on similar processes.
Why it's wrong here
This is proactive, not investigative.
- ✗
Run a vulnerability assessment scan on the VM.
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability scanning does not investigate processes.
- ✓
Initiate a live response session on the VM from Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Why this is correct
Live response provides real-time investigation capabilities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Initiate an automated investigation on the VM.
Why it's wrong here
Automated investigation is for incident response, not ad-hoc.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse automated investigation (which runs a predefined playbook) with live response (which provides manual, interactive access), leading them to select option D because they think automation is the default way to respond to alerts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Live response uses the Microsoft Defender for Cloud agent (or the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint sensor) to establish a secure, authenticated channel to the VM, allowing execution of commands like `Get-Process`, `netstat`, or custom scripts via the `RunScript` API. This capability is built on top of the Azure VM Agent and does not require opening inbound ports like RDP or SSH, making it a secure alternative for incident response. In a real-world scenario, an analyst might use live response to dump the process memory or check network connections to determine if the process is communicating with a known malicious IP.
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.
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: Initiate a live response session on the VM from Microsoft Defender for Cloud. — Option C is correct because Microsoft Defender for Cloud's live response capability allows you to remotely connect to a VM and perform real-time forensic actions, such as running commands, examining running processes, and collecting artifacts. This is the most direct way to investigate a suspicious process on a specific VM, as it provides interactive access without needing to install additional agents or reboot the machine.
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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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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