Question 409 of 1,411

Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity

This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity. 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.

A company configures its identity and access management system so that employees are granted only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions. For example, a sales representative has read-only access to the customer database and cannot modify financial records. Which security principle is being applied in this scenario?

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Segregation of duties
Why wrong: Segregation of duties requires more than one person to complete a sensitive task (e.g., one person requests a purchase, another approves). The scenario does not mention splitting tasks.
B
Defense in depth
Why wrong: Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security (firewalls, antivirus, etc.). The scenario focuses on limiting permissions, not layering protections.
C
Least privilege
Least privilege ensures users have only the permissions needed for their roles. The example of a sales rep having read-only access to customer data is a classic application of this principle.
D
Zero Trust
Why wrong: Zero Trust is a security model that never trusts any request by default, regardless of origin. While least privilege is a component of Zero Trust, the scenario does not include other Zero Trust elements like continuous verification.

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

✓

Least privilege

The scenario describes granting employees only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions, which is the core definition of the least privilege principle. In Microsoft identity and access management, this is implemented by assigning the minimum required Azure RBAC roles or Microsoft Entra ID directory roles, ensuring users have no more access than needed. This directly reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from compromised accounts.

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.

✗
Segregation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Segregation of duties requires more than one person to complete a sensitive task (e.g., one person requests a purchase, another approves). The scenario does not mention splitting tasks.
✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security (firewalls, antivirus, etc.). The scenario focuses on limiting permissions, not layering protections.
✓
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Least privilege ensures users have only the permissions needed for their roles. The example of a sales rep having read-only access to customer data is a classic application of this principle.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Zero Trust
Why it's wrong here
Zero Trust is a security model that never trusts any request by default, regardless of origin. While least privilege is a component of Zero Trust, the scenario does not include other Zero Trust elements like continuous verification.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse least privilege with Zero Trust, but Zero Trust is a broader architectural model that includes least privilege as one component, not the specific principle being described in this scenario.

Trap categories for this question

Scenario analysis trap
Segregation of duties requires more than one person to complete a sensitive task (e.g., one person requests a purchase, another approves). The scenario does not mention splitting tasks.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Least privilege is enforced in Microsoft Entra ID through Azure RBAC roles (e.g., Reader, Contributor, Owner) and custom roles with granular actions defined in the 'Actions' and 'NotActions' properties. In practice, a sales representative might be assigned the 'Reader' role on a specific customer database resource, which explicitly denies write or delete operations via the RBAC permission model. This principle also applies to application permissions in Microsoft Graph, where delegated permissions like 'User.Read.All' should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-900 question test?

Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — This question tests Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Least privilege — The scenario describes granting employees only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions, which is the core definition of the least privilege principle. In Microsoft identity and access management, this is implemented by assigning the minimum required Azure RBAC roles or Microsoft Entra ID directory roles, ensuring users have no more access than needed. This directly reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from compromised accounts.

What should I do if I get this SC-900 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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