The answer is to disable the user account, reset the password, and revoke all active sessions and tokens. These three actions directly contain and remediate a compromised user account in Microsoft Defender XDR by cutting off the attacker’s current access, invalidating stolen credentials, and terminating any active malicious sessions. On the Microsoft Security Operations Analyst SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your ability to prioritize containment over broad or delayed measures—common traps include selecting “block all IPs” (which disrupts legitimate users) or “restore from backup” (which fails to address the root cause). Remember the mnemonic “DRR” for Disable, Reset, Revoke: disable the account first to stop new logins, reset the password to lock out the attacker, then revoke sessions to force immediate termination of any ongoing abuse.
SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 XDR. A security incident involving a compromised user account has been identified. Which THREE actions should you take to contain and remediate the incident?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID.
Disabling the user account prevents further access. Resetting the password ensures the attacker cannot use the old credentials. Revoking sessions forces termination of active sessions. Option A is incorrect because blocking all IPs is too broad and may affect legitimate users. Option D is incorrect because restoring from backup is not immediate and may not address the root cause.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 in Microsoft Entra ID.
Why this is correct
Disabling the account stops further access.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✓
Reset the user's password.
Why this is correct
Password reset invalidates the attacker's knowledge.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Block all IP addresses that the user has connected from.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking all IPs is not precise and may block legitimate traffic.
✓
Revoke all active sessions and tokens for the user.
Why this is correct
Revoking sessions ensures current access is terminated.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Restore the user's mailbox from a backup.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring mailbox is not a containment action.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-200 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Disable the user account in Microsoft Entra ID. — Disabling the user account prevents further access. Resetting the password ensures the attacker cannot use the old credentials. Revoking sessions forces termination of active sessions. Option A is incorrect because blocking all IPs is too broad and may affect legitimate users. Option D is incorrect because restoring from backup is not immediate and may not address the root cause.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-200 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Identity. An incident is created for a user whose credentials were used from an unusual location to access sensitive HR data. The user's account is a domain admin. The security team needs to ensure the attacker cannot use the account again. What should you do first?
hard
A.Remove the user from the Domain Admins group
B.Force the user to log out of all sessions
✓ C.Reset the user's password and revoke the Kerberos TGT
D.Disable the user's account in Active Directory
Why C: Option C is correct because resetting the password and revoking the Kerberos TGT ensures the attacker cannot reuse cached credentials. Option A is wrong because disabling the account may disrupt operations but password reset is more precise. Option B is wrong because logging out alone does not invalidate the TGT. Option D is wrong because removing group membership is secondary.
Variation 2. Your organization uses Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR. An incident is generated for a user who received a phishing email that bypassed Exchange Online Protection. The user clicked the link and entered credentials on a fake login page. The incident includes alerts from Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Microsoft Entra ID. You need to respond to the incident. The affected user has administrative privileges. Which of the following should you do FIRST?
easy
✓ A.Reset the user's password and revoke sessions in Microsoft Entra ID.
B.Report the phishing email to Microsoft for analysis.
C.Create a transport rule to block similar phishing emails.
D.Delete the phishing email from the user's mailbox.
Why A: Option D is correct: resetting the user's password and revoking sessions immediately prevents attacker use of stolen credentials. Option A is wrong because reporting the email is not urgent. Option B is wrong because deleting the email is good but does not address compromised credentials. Option C is wrong because creating a rule is a longer-term action.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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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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