The answer is to add an additional filter to exclude PowerShell executions from specific administrative user accounts. This approach directly addresses the root cause of false positives in custom detection rules for PowerShell by distinguishing between legitimate administrative scripts launched from File Explorer and malicious Office-based PowerShell launches, which typically originate from different parent processes like Microsoft Word or Excel. On the Microsoft Security Operations Analyst SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your ability to refine detection logic without weakening security coverage—a common trap is to remove the parent process filter entirely, which would broaden detection and increase noise. Remember that reducing false positives requires surgical exclusions, not broader time ranges or severity adjustments. A useful memory tip: “Filter the who, not the what”—target the administrative user accounts or command-line patterns, not the process chain itself.
SC-200 Perform threat hunting Practice Question
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.
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 B is correct because adding conditions to exclude known administrative scenarios (e.g., specific user accounts or command-line patterns) reduces false positives without removing the parent process filter entirely. Option A 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: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
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: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-200 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Perform threat hunting — This question tests Perform threat hunting — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
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 B is correct because adding conditions to exclude known administrative scenarios (e.g., specific user accounts or command-line patterns) reduces false positives without removing the parent process filter entirely. Option A 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?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-200 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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