This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of perform threat hunting. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"displayName": "Suspicious PowerShell Execution",
"description": "Detects PowerShell launching from unusual parent processes",
"query": "DeviceProcessEvents | where FileName == 'powershell.exe' and ParentFileName in~ ('explorer.exe', 'winword.exe', 'excel.exe')",
"tactics": ["Execution"],
"techniques": ["T1059.001"],
"severity": "Medium"
}
```
Refer to the exhibit. A custom detection rule in Microsoft Sentinel uses this JSON definition. An analyst notices that the rule is generating alerts for legitimate administrative scripts launched from File Explorer. What is the best way to reduce false positives while retaining detection of malicious Office-based PowerShell launches?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"displayName": "Suspicious PowerShell Execution",
"description": "Detects PowerShell launching from unusual parent processes",
"query": "DeviceProcessEvents | where FileName == 'powershell.exe' and ParentFileName in~ ('explorer.exe', 'winword.exe', 'excel.exe')",
"tactics": ["Execution"],
"techniques": ["T1059.001"],
"severity": "Medium"
}
```
A
Add an additional filter to exclude PowerShell executions from specific administrative user accounts
Excluding known admin accounts helps reduce noise while keeping detection for other users.
B
Increase the query time range to 30 days
Why wrong: Time range does not affect false positives in this context.
C
Change the severity to Informational to suppress alerts
Why wrong: Severity change does not reduce false positives; it only changes alert classification.
D
Remove the parent process filter and rely only on FileName == 'powershell.exe'
Why wrong: This would increase false positives by detecting all PowerShell launches.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add an additional filter to exclude PowerShell executions from specific administrative user accounts
Option A is correct because adding conditions to exclude known administrative scenarios (e.g., specific user accounts) reduces false positives without removing the parent process filter entirely. Option B is wrong because removing the parent process filter would broaden detection, likely increasing false positives. Option C is wrong because lowering severity does not reduce false positives. Option D is wrong because increasing time range does not help.
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.
✓
Add an additional filter to exclude PowerShell executions from specific administrative user accounts
Why this is correct
Excluding known admin accounts helps reduce noise while keeping detection for other users.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the query time range to 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Time range does not affect false positives in this context.
✗
Change the severity to Informational to suppress alerts
Why it's wrong here
Severity change does not reduce false positives; it only changes alert classification.
✗
Remove the parent process filter and rely only on FileName == 'powershell.exe'
Why it's wrong here
This would increase false positives by detecting all PowerShell launches.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Perform threat hunting — This question tests Perform threat hunting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add an additional filter to exclude PowerShell executions from specific administrative user accounts — Option A is correct because adding conditions to exclude known administrative scenarios (e.g., specific user accounts) reduces false positives without removing the parent process filter entirely. Option B is wrong because removing the parent process filter would broaden detection, likely increasing false positives. Option C is wrong because lowering severity does not reduce false positives. Option D is wrong because increasing time range does not help.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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