Automated Investigation for High Severity Alerts in Defender for Endpoint
Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. You need to ensure that when a high severity alert is generated, an automated investigation is launched immediately. What is the correct configuration?
Quick Answer
The correct configuration is to adjust the automated investigation and response settings in Microsoft 365 Defender to automatically investigate alerts. This is because Defender for Endpoint’s automation level determines whether high severity alerts trigger an immediate, self-contained investigation without requiring manual intervention. On the SC-200 exam, this concept tests your understanding of how automation levels—such as full, semi, or no automation—directly impact incident response workflows; a common trap is confusing alert suppression (which only reduces noise) with automated investigation, or mistaking advanced hunting for a response mechanism. Remember that automated investigation for high severity alerts is governed by the automation level, not by indicators or hunting queries. A useful memory tip is to think “high severity, high automation”—if the alert is critical, the system should act without waiting for you.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse custom detection rules (advanced hunting) or custom indicators with the ability to trigger automated investigations, when in fact the correct configuration is a simple toggle in the automated investigation and response settings within Microsoft 365 Defender.
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
✓
In Microsoft 365 Defender, configure automated investigation and response settings to automatically investigate alerts.
Microsoft 365 Defender's automated investigation and response (AIR) capabilities allow you to configure automatic investigation for alerts of specific severity levels. By enabling this setting for high severity alerts, Defender for Endpoint will immediately launch an investigation when such an alert is generated, without requiring manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a custom indicator in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
Indicators are for blocking or allowing, not automation.
- ✗
Use advanced hunting to create a custom detection rule.
Why it's wrong here
Custom detection rules can create alerts but do not automatically launch investigations.
- ✗
In Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, set up an alert suppression rule.
Why it's wrong here
Alert suppression hides alerts or reduces noise, but does not trigger investigations.
- ✓
In Microsoft 365 Defender, configure automated investigation and response settings to automatically investigate alerts.
Why this is correct
The automated investigation settings allow you to set the automation level for different alert groups, including high severity.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SC-200 question from scratch — 209 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SC-200
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. You need to ensure that when a malware alert is generated, an automated investigation is triggered. What should you configure?
easy- A.Configure the Action center settings.
- B.Create custom indicators of compromise (IOCs).
- C.Use threat analytics to trigger investigations.
- ✓ D.Enable automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
Why D: Enabling automated investigation and remediation in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal is the specific configuration that triggers an automated investigation when a malware alert is generated by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This feature allows the security operations team to define the automation level (e.g., full, semi, or no automation) for alerts, ensuring that when a malware alert fires, the system automatically initiates an investigation to contain and remediate the threat without manual intervention.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.