This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. 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 uses Microsoft Defender XDR to investigate a potential malware outbreak. You need to collect a full memory dump from an affected Windows 10 device for forensic analysis. Which action should you take from the Microsoft Defender XDR portal?
Initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action.
Correct. This action collects memory dumps and forensic data.
Isolate the device from the network.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Isolation prevents spread but does not collect data.
Run a full antivirus scan on the device.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Scans do not collect memory dumps.
Restrict app execution on the device.
Why wrong: Incorrect. This limits software but does not collect memory.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action.
To collect a full memory dump for forensic analysis from a Windows 10 device during a potential malware outbreak, you must initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action from the Microsoft Defender XDR portal. This action gathers a comprehensive set of forensic data, including a full memory dump, event logs, registry hives, and other artifacts, which is essential for deep analysis of malware behavior and persistence mechanisms.
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.
Initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action.
Why this is correct
Correct. This action collects memory dumps and forensic data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Isolate the device from the network.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Isolation prevents spread but does not collect data.
Run a full antivirus scan on the device.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Scans do not collect memory dumps.
Restrict app execution on the device.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This limits software but does not collect memory.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'Collect investigation package' with a simple log collection, not realizing it specifically includes a full memory dump, which is the only option that meets the forensic requirement for volatile memory analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
The 'Collect investigation package' action leverages the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint sensor to execute a script that invokes the built-in Windows tool 'dump.exe' (or equivalent) to capture a full memory dump (a .dmp file) from the target device. This package also includes the Windows Event Log files (.evtx), registry hives, and prefetch files, which are critical for timeline reconstruction and identifying root cause in advanced persistent threat (APT) scenarios. The collected data is uploaded to the Microsoft Defender XDR backend and made available for download within the portal, typically within 10-15 minutes depending on device memory size and network bandwidth.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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: Initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action. — To collect a full memory dump for forensic analysis from a Windows 10 device during a potential malware outbreak, you must initiate a 'Collect investigation package' action from the Microsoft Defender XDR portal. This action gathers a comprehensive set of forensic data, including a full memory dump, event logs, registry hives, and other artifacts, which is essential for deep analysis of malware behavior and persistence mechanisms.
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
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