- A
Defense in depth
Why wrong: Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security controls (e.g., firewall, antivirus, encryption) to protect assets, not specifically limiting permissions per role.
- B
Least privilege
Correct. Least privilege is the security concept of granting users only the permissions they need to do their job, which matches the scenario of restricting access based on job role.
- C
Zero Trust
Why wrong: Zero Trust is a security model that assumes no implicit trust and continuously verifies every request, but it is broader than just limiting permissions.
- D
Separation of duties
Why wrong: Separation of duties involves dividing critical tasks among multiple individuals to reduce risk of fraud or error, not about limiting individual permissions.
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 implements a policy where each employee is granted only the permissions necessary to perform their specific job role. For example, a marketing specialist has read-only access to the customer database and cannot modify financial records. Which security principle is primarily being applied?
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 principle of least privilege dictates that users should be granted only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions. In this scenario, the marketing specialist receives read-only access to the customer database and no access to financial records, which directly aligns with limiting permissions to the minimum required. This reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from accidental or malicious actions.
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.
- ✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security controls (e.g., firewall, antivirus, encryption) to protect assets, not specifically limiting permissions per role.
- ✓
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Correct. Least privilege is the security concept of granting users only the permissions they need to do their job, which matches the scenario of restricting access based on job role.
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 assumes no implicit trust and continuously verifies every request, but it is broader than just limiting permissions.
- ✗
Separation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties involves dividing critical tasks among multiple individuals to reduce risk of fraud or error, not about limiting individual permissions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'least privilege' with 'separation of duties' because both involve limiting permissions, but separation of duties focuses on splitting critical tasks across multiple users to prevent fraud, whereas least privilege restricts each user to the minimum permissions for their single role.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, least privilege is implemented via Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Azure, where roles like 'Reader' or 'Contributor' are assigned at specific scopes (management group, subscription, resource group, or resource). For example, assigning the 'SQL DB Reader' role to a marketing specialist at the database scope ensures they can only read data, while Azure Policy can enforce deny assignments to block any write actions. In a real-world scenario, a misconfigured role assignment granting 'Contributor' instead of 'Reader' could allow accidental deletion of customer records, highlighting why granular scoping is critical.
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.
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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 principle of least privilege dictates that users should be granted only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions. In this scenario, the marketing specialist receives read-only access to the customer database and no access to financial records, which directly aligns with limiting permissions to the minimum required. This reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from accidental or malicious actions.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SC-900 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-900 exam.
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