SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
Your organization uses Microsoft 365 Defender. During an incident, which TWO actions can be taken directly from the Microsoft 365 Defender portal to remediate a compromised email account?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is selecting plausible-sounding but non-native actions (blocking sender, isolating mailbox) instead of the two remediation actions actually exposed in the M365 Defender portal for a compromised account.
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
✓
Soft delete malicious emails from the user's mailbox.
Option C is correct because the Microsoft 365 Defender portal (via the Email & collaboration > Explorer/Threat Explorer remediation actions) lets responders soft delete malicious emails from a user's mailbox, moving them to the Recoverable Items folder so they can be purged or restored. Option D is correct because the portal's action center and user investigation page provide 'Reset password' and 'Revoke sessions' actions, which force a password change and invalidate existing authentication tokens to cut off an attacker's access. Option A is not a direct remediation action offered in the Defender portal for a compromised account, and mailbox delegation is managed through Exchange admin center/PowerShell. Option B is a preventive tenant-level allow/block list change, not an account remediation action, and it targets a sender address rather than the compromised mailbox. Option E is not a supported action; mail flow cannot be selectively 'isolated' for a mailbox from the Defender portal.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remove mailbox delegation permissions.
Why it's wrong here
Removing mailbox delegation permissions is performed through Exchange admin tooling or PowerShell, not as a direct remediation action in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal incident view. It is tempting because delegated access is a common persistence mechanism after compromise, yet the portal offers actions such as disabling the account or revoking sessions instead.
- ✗
Block the sender's email address in the tenant's allow/block list.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking the sender's address in the tenant allow/block list is a mail-flow setting that stops future messages from that address; it does not contain the already-compromised mailbox. It is tempting because it is available in the portal, but it belongs to anti-spam configuration rather than the incident remediation actions applied to a compromised account.
- ✓
Soft delete malicious emails from the user's mailbox.
Why this is correct
Soft delete moves the malicious messages to the Recoverable Items folder, removing them from the user's inbox while retaining them for investigation or restore. This satisfies remediation directly from the Microsoft 365 Defender portal without permanent data loss.
- ✓
Reset the user's password and revoke sessions.
Why this is correct
Resetting the password alone leaves stolen refresh tokens valid, so revoking sessions is essential. Microsoft Entra ID session revocation invalidates existing tokens immediately, satisfying the stem's requirement to remediate a compromised mailbox directly from the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
- ✗
Isolate the user's mailbox from receiving emails.
Why it's wrong here
Mailboxes cannot be isolated from receiving email; that action applies to devices, not accounts. It is tempting because isolation is a familiar Defender remediation, but for a compromised mailbox the portal provides actions such as requiring sign-in again, blocking the account, or deleting malicious rules.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.