- A
Use Azure Policy to exempt the resource group from policy evaluation
Why wrong: Exemptions remove compliance evaluation for the entire resource group, which is too broad and would hide all recommendations, not just low-severity and old ones.
- B
Use a Microsoft Sentinel automation rule to close incidents
Why wrong: Automation rules operate on Sentinel incidents, not on Defender for Cloud recommendations. Recommendations are not incidents by default.
- C
Use a suppression rule in Defender for Cloud to suppress specific recommendations
Suppression rules in Defender for Cloud allow you to ignore recommendations based on criteria like severity, resource scope, and time. You can create a rule for low-severity recommendations older than 90 days for the resource group.
- D
Use an Azure Blueprint to ignore recommendations
Why wrong: Azure Blueprints are used for deploying consistent environments, not for suppressing recommendations. They are also deprecated in favor of Azure Deployment Environments.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to use a suppression rule in Defender for Cloud to suppress specific recommendations. This is the only built-in mechanism that allows you to automatically dismiss low-severity recommendations based on criteria such as age (older than 90 days) and scope (a specific resource group), without altering your security posture or requiring external automation. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between native Defender for Cloud controls and workarounds like Azure Policy exemptions or custom analytics rules in Sentinel. A common trap is assuming you need Sentinel automation rules for this task, but suppression rules are purpose-built for permanently hiding low-severity findings. Remember the memory tip: “Suppress in Defender, not in Sentinel” — if the goal is to dismiss a recommendation silently and permanently, stay inside Defender for Cloud.
SC-200 Practice Question: Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender for cloud. 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.
A security operations team uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel. They want to automatically suppress low-severity security recommendations that are older than 90 days for a specific resource group. Which combination of tools should they use?
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
Use a suppression rule in Defender for Cloud to suppress specific recommendations
Option C is correct because Defender for Cloud includes native suppression rules that allow you to automatically dismiss low-severity recommendations based on criteria such as age (older than 90 days) and scope (specific resource group). This is the only built-in mechanism in Defender for Cloud to permanently suppress recommendations without altering the underlying security posture or requiring external automation.
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.
- ✗
Use Azure Policy to exempt the resource group from policy evaluation
Why it's wrong here
Exemptions remove compliance evaluation for the entire resource group, which is too broad and would hide all recommendations, not just low-severity and old ones.
- ✗
Use a Microsoft Sentinel automation rule to close incidents
Why it's wrong here
Automation rules operate on Sentinel incidents, not on Defender for Cloud recommendations. Recommendations are not incidents by default.
- ✓
Use a suppression rule in Defender for Cloud to suppress specific recommendations
Why this is correct
Suppression rules in Defender for Cloud allow you to ignore recommendations based on criteria like severity, resource scope, and time. You can create a rule for low-severity recommendations older than 90 days for the resource group.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an Azure Blueprint to ignore recommendations
Why it's wrong here
Azure Blueprints are used for deploying consistent environments, not for suppressing recommendations. They are also deprecated in favor of Azure Deployment Environments.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Defender for Cloud suppression rules with Azure Policy exemptions or Sentinel automation rules, failing to recognize that recommendation suppression is a dedicated feature within Defender for Cloud's own settings, not a cross-service configuration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Defender for Cloud suppression rules work by evaluating recommendation metadata (e.g., severity, age, resource ID) against a rule set stored in the Azure Resource Manager. When a recommendation matches a suppression rule, it is hidden from the dashboard and excluded from secure score calculations, but the underlying security finding remains in the backend for audit purposes. This is distinct from remediation or exemption, as suppressed recommendations are not deleted—they are simply filtered out of the user interface and alerts.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a suppression rule in Defender for Cloud to suppress specific recommendations — Option C is correct because Defender for Cloud includes native suppression rules that allow you to automatically dismiss low-severity recommendations based on criteria such as age (older than 90 days) and scope (specific resource group). This is the only built-in mechanism in Defender for Cloud to permanently suppress recommendations without altering the underlying security posture or requiring external automation.
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: Jun 11, 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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