Quick Answer
The answer is the Security Reader role. This built-in role is the correct choice because it grants read-only permissions across Microsoft 365 Defender, specifically allowing analysts to view Defender for Identity alerts without modification—no write access is included to change alert states, configurations, or security settings. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your understanding of role-based access control (RBAC) within the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, often appearing as a straightforward scenario where you must distinguish between the Security Reader and Security Administrator roles; the common trap is selecting Security Administrator, which includes full modify permissions. A reliable memory tip is to associate “Reader” with “read-only” and “Administrator” with “action”—if the task is only to view alerts, always choose the Reader role.
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Identity. You need to create a role that allows analysts to view security alerts but not modify them. Which built-in role should you assign?
Security Administrator
Why wrong: Can modify security settings.
Compliance Administrator
Why wrong: Focuses on compliance features.
Global Administrator
Why wrong: Has full access to all services.
Security Reader
Read-only access to security alerts.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Security Reader
The Security Reader role (D) is the correct choice because it provides read-only access to security-related features in Microsoft 365 Defender, including the ability to view security alerts from Microsoft Defender for Identity without the ability to modify or respond to them. This aligns directly with the requirement to allow analysts to view alerts but not modify them, as the role grants no write permissions to security configurations or alert states.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Security Administrator
Why it's wrong here
Can modify security settings.
Compliance Administrator
Why it's wrong here
Focuses on compliance features.
Global Administrator
Why it's wrong here
Has full access to all services.
Security Reader
Why this is correct
Read-only access to security alerts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Security Reader with Security Administrator, assuming the 'Administrator' suffix implies broader access, but the key distinction is that Security Reader is the only built-in role that provides read-only access to security alerts without modification rights.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Microsoft Defender for Identity alerts are surfaced through the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, and role-based access control (RBAC) is enforced via Azure AD roles or custom roles in the Microsoft 365 Defender unified RBAC model. The Security Reader role maps to the 'Security Reader' Azure AD role, which grants read permissions to security data via the Microsoft Graph API (e.g., `GET /security/alerts`) but denies write operations like `PATCH /security/alerts/{id}`. In a real-world scenario, if an analyst needs to triage alerts by viewing details but must not accidentally dismiss or change severity, this role ensures audit trails remain intact and changes are restricted to higher-privilege roles.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Security Reader — The Security Reader role (D) is the correct choice because it provides read-only access to security-related features in Microsoft 365 Defender, including the ability to view security alerts from Microsoft Defender for Identity without the ability to modify or respond to them. This aligns directly with the requirement to allow analysts to view alerts but not modify them, as the role grants no write permissions to security configurations or alert states.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 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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