The answer is to enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings. This feature is correct because it directly addresses identity threats by automatically disabling a compromised user account when high-confidence attacks like password spray or lateral movement are detected, containing the breach without manual intervention. On the SC-200 exam, this tests your understanding of automated response capabilities within Defender XDR’s ‘Automated investigation and response’ section, where a common trap is confusing this with manual remediation actions or separate identity protection tools. Remember that automatic attack disruption is a unified, cross-domain containment mechanism—not just an alert—so when you see “disable account” for identity threats, think of this setting first. A helpful memory tip: “Disrupt to disable”—the disruption action automatically disables the compromised identity.
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
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 XDR. You need to configure automatic attack disruption for identity-related threats. The solution should automatically contain a compromised user by disabling their account. Which setting should you enable?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings.
Option B is correct because Microsoft Defender XDR's automatic attack disruption feature is specifically designed to contain identity-related threats by automatically disabling compromised user accounts. This setting, found in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings under 'Automated investigation and response', triggers when high-confidence identity attacks (e.g., password spray, lateral movement) are detected, without requiring manual intervention or additional infrastructure.
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.
✗
Configure Conditional Access policies to block the user.
Why it's wrong here
Conditional Access is not automatic attack disruption.
✓
Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings.
Why this is correct
This feature automatically contains compromised identities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Microsoft Sentinel automation rules to disable the user.
Why it's wrong here
Automation rules in Sentinel require manual setup and are not native to Defender XDR.
✗
Create a custom detection rule to alert on suspicious sign-ins.
Why it's wrong here
Detection rules only alert, not automatically contain.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'blocking sign-ins' (Conditional Access) with 'disabling the account' (automatic attack disruption), failing to recognize that only the latter fully contains a compromised user by preventing all authentication attempts, including those from trusted devices or locations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Automatic attack disruption in Defender XDR leverages the Microsoft 365 Defender portal's unified incident and response pipeline, using machine learning models to correlate signals from Azure AD Identity Protection, Microsoft Defender for Identity, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. When a high-fidelity identity attack is detected (e.g., impossible travel or anomalous token usage), the system automatically triggers a 'Disable user' action via the Microsoft Graph API, which immediately revokes the user's access tokens and prevents further authentication. This is distinct from manual or playbook-based responses, as it operates within seconds of detection without requiring administrator approval.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings. — Option B is correct because Microsoft Defender XDR's automatic attack disruption feature is specifically designed to contain identity-related threats by automatically disabling compromised user accounts. This setting, found in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings under 'Automated investigation and response', triggers when high-confidence identity attacks (e.g., password spray, lateral movement) are detected, without requiring manual intervention or additional infrastructure.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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