Question 795 of 1,639

Respond to security incidents →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The immediate action to stop email data exfiltration in Purview is to perform a content search and purge the email from the recipient’s mailbox. This is correct because the email has already been sent via Exchange Online, and purging removes the sensitive data from the external mailbox, preventing further access or distribution. In the Microsoft Security Operations Analyst SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between reactive containment and preventive controls—a common trap is choosing to block the user’s account, which does not delete the already-delivered message, or applying a Data Loss Prevention policy, which is proactive, not reactive. Remember that immediate containment focuses on removing the data at rest, not just stopping the sender. A useful memory tip is “Purge the Purview path”—if the email is already out, purge it from the destination to cut off exfiltration.

SC-200 Respond to security incidents Practice Question

This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of respond to security incidents. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 security team detects a potential data exfiltration incident where an employee emailed sensitive customer data to a personal email address. The email was sent via Exchange Online. What is the immediate action to prevent further data loss?

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Create a data loss prevention rule to block future emails to that domain
Why wrong: DLP rules are preventive and do not address the current incident.
B
Review the user's email archive for other suspicious emails
Why wrong: Reviewing is investigation, not immediate containment.
C
Disable the user's account in Microsoft Entra ID
Why wrong: Disabling the account prevents further sending but does not retrieve the already sent email.
D
Use Microsoft Purview to perform a content search and purge the email from the recipient's mailbox
Content search and purge can remove the email from the external mailbox if it's within the same organization, but if it's an external address, this may not be possible; however, for internal recipients, it works. For external, the best step is to block the data and notify. The question implies the recipient is external, but typical immediate action is to prevent further sending.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use Microsoft Purview to perform a content search and purge the email from the recipient's mailbox

Option A is correct because purging the email from the recipient's mailbox removes the data from the external location. Option B is wrong because blocking the user's account does not remove the already sent email. Option C is wrong because data loss prevention policies are preventive, not reactive. Option D is wrong while important, it is an investigation step, not immediate containment.

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.

✗
Create a data loss prevention rule to block future emails to that domain
Why it's wrong here
DLP rules are preventive and do not address the current incident.
✗
Review the user's email archive for other suspicious emails
Why it's wrong here
Reviewing is investigation, not immediate containment.
✗
Disable the user's account in Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the account prevents further sending but does not retrieve the already sent email.
✓
Use Microsoft Purview to perform a content search and purge the email from the recipient's mailbox
Why this is correct
Content search and purge can remove the email from the external mailbox if it's within the same organization, but if it's an external address, this may not be possible; however, for internal recipients, it works. For external, the best step is to block the data and notify. The question implies the recipient is external, but typical immediate action is to prevent further sending.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-200 question test?

Respond to security incidents — This question tests Respond to security incidents — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use Microsoft Purview to perform a content search and purge the email from the recipient's mailbox — Option A is correct because purging the email from the recipient's mailbox removes the data from the external location. Option B is wrong because blocking the user's account does not remove the already sent email. Option C is wrong because data loss prevention policies are preventive, not reactive. Option D is wrong while important, it is an investigation step, not immediate containment.

What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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