SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to 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.
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
✓
Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings.
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.
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 an authentication-time control that evaluates sign-in risk and enforces policies, but it does not react to suspicious activity already in progress. Blocking a user there would require prior knowledge of compromise and manual policy configuration, which defeats the purpose of automatic attack disruption. Moreover, Conditional Access cannot remediate post-authentication actions like lateral movement or data exfiltration.
- ✓
Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings.
Why this is correct
Enable automatic attack disruption in the Microsoft Defender XDR settings. This native capability automatically contains compromised identities by disabling user accounts or isolating devices when an active attack is detected, without manual intervention. It uses cross-domain signals to break the attack chain immediately, aligning exactly with the requirement to automatically respond in real time.
- ✗
Use Microsoft Sentinel automation rules to disable the user.
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Sentinel automation rules require you to build and connect custom playbooks, typically with Logic Apps, and they operate outside the Defender XDR incident context. Although Sentinel can disable an account, it is a separate SIEM platform requiring licenses, connectors, and manual rule tuning, not a built-in XDR attack disruption mechanism. This approach adds latency and complexity rather than providing automatic, coordinated containment.
- ✗
Create a custom detection rule to alert on suspicious sign-ins.
Why it's wrong here
A custom detection rule in Defender XDR only generates an alert for suspicious sign-ins; it has no native capability to automatically disable a user or otherwise contain an incident. Unless paired with a separate automated response action, the alert simply informs analysts, leaving the threat active. Attack disruption, by contrast, is an automated response feature baked into XDR, not just detection.
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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.