- A
Disable the user account
Why wrong: Premature without verification.
- B
Reset the user's password
Why wrong: Should be done after validation.
- C
Run a full antivirus scan on the user's device
Why wrong: Not directly relevant.
- D
Validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity
Confirms the alert.
Question 93 of 1,639
Validate Defender for Identity Alert by Checking User Activity
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.
A security analyst receives an alert from Microsoft Defender for Identity about a suspicious Kerberos ticket request. What is the first step the analyst should take?
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
✓
Validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity
When Microsoft Defender for Identity alerts on a suspicious Kerberos ticket request, the first step is to validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity. This ensures the alert is not a false positive caused by legitimate behavior (e.g., scheduled tasks or application service tickets) before taking any disruptive action. Defender for Identity uses network traffic and event logs to detect anomalies like overpass-the-hash or Kerberoasting, but initial validation prevents unnecessary account lockouts or password resets.
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.
- ✗
Disable the user account
Why it's wrong here
Premature without verification.
- ✗
Reset the user's password
Why it's wrong here
Should be done after validation.
- ✗
Run a full antivirus scan on the user's device
Why it's wrong here
Not directly relevant.
- ✓
Validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity
Why this is correct
Confirms the alert.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often jump to containment (disable account) or remediation (reset password) without first validating the alert, confusing the 'respond' phase with the initial 'validate' step required by incident response best practices.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Microsoft Defender for Identity monitors Kerberos authentication by analyzing domain controller traffic, including TGS-REQ and AS-REQ packets, to detect anomalies such as unusual service ticket requests (e.g., for non-existent SPNs) or encryption type downgrades (e.g., RC4 usage). In a real-world Kerberoasting attack, an attacker requests service tickets for high-privilege accounts, and validation involves checking the source IP, time, and whether the user initiated the request (e.g., via a scheduled task or PowerShell script). This step aligns with the NIST incident response framework's 'identification' phase before moving to containment or eradication.
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.
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: Validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity — When Microsoft Defender for Identity alerts on a suspicious Kerberos ticket request, the first step is to validate the alert by checking the user's recent activity. This ensures the alert is not a false positive caused by legitimate behavior (e.g., scheduled tasks or application service tickets) before taking any disruptive action. Defender for Identity uses network traffic and event logs to detect anomalies like overpass-the-hash or Kerberoasting, but initial validation prevents unnecessary account lockouts or password resets.
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.
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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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