- A
Microsoft is responsible because they provide the cloud service and must protect against all threats.
Why wrong: Microsoft secures the cloud infrastructure, but the customer is accountable for their own accounts and devices.
- B
The customer is responsible because they control user devices, accounts, and access policies.
The customer must secure endpoints, enforce strong authentication (e.g., MFA), and control access to protect against credential theft and misuse.
- C
Both Microsoft and the customer share equal responsibility for all layers of the service.
Why wrong: Responsibility is split: Microsoft for infrastructure (physical, network, host), customer for their own data, identities, and devices.
- D
Neither party is responsible because the employee bypassed security controls.
Why wrong: The employee may have made an error, but overall accountability for endpoint and identity security lies with the customer organization.
Quick Answer
The customer is primarily responsible because the shared responsibility model places endpoint security and user account management firmly on the customer’s side. In this scenario, the keylogger infected a corporate laptop—a customer-managed device—and the attacker used stolen credentials to access Exchange Online, meaning the breach originated from a failure to secure the endpoint and enforce proper access policies. Microsoft secures the cloud infrastructure, such as data centers and the Exchange Online service itself, but it does not control what runs on the employee’s laptop or how accounts are protected. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between “security of the cloud” (Microsoft’s job) and “security in the cloud” (the customer’s job), with keyloggers and credential theft being classic traps that push responsibility to the customer. A common memory tip is “if it plugs in or logs in, it’s yours”—meaning any device, user account, or access policy under your control is your responsibility, not Microsoft’s.
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 uses Microsoft 365 E5. An employee's corporate laptop is infected with keylogging malware that captures the employee's credentials. The attacker uses these credentials to sign in to Exchange Online and forward sensitive emails to an external account. Under the shared responsibility model, who is primarily responsible for the security incident?
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
The customer is responsible because they control user devices, accounts, and access policies.
Under the shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for securing user devices, managing user accounts, and configuring access policies. In this scenario, the keylogging malware on the employee's corporate laptop is a customer-side endpoint security issue, and the attacker used stolen credentials to access Exchange Online. Microsoft is responsible for the security of the cloud infrastructure (e.g., physical data centers, network, and hypervisor), but not for threats originating from compromised customer-managed devices or user 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.
- ✗
Microsoft is responsible because they provide the cloud service and must protect against all threats.
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft secures the cloud infrastructure, but the customer is accountable for their own accounts and devices.
- ✓
The customer is responsible because they control user devices, accounts, and access policies.
Why this is correct
The customer must secure endpoints, enforce strong authentication (e.g., MFA), and control access to protect against credential theft and misuse.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Both Microsoft and the customer share equal responsibility for all layers of the service.
Why it's wrong here
Responsibility is split: Microsoft for infrastructure (physical, network, host), customer for their own data, identities, and devices.
- ✗
Neither party is responsible because the employee bypassed security controls.
Why it's wrong here
The employee may have made an error, but overall accountability for endpoint and identity security lies with the customer organization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Microsoft is fully responsible for all security in a SaaS model, overlooking that the customer must secure user devices, enforce strong authentication (like MFA), and manage account hygiene.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The shared responsibility model is defined by the type of cloud service: for SaaS like Exchange Online, Microsoft manages the application, runtime, and infrastructure, while the customer manages data, identities, devices, and access policies. In practice, enabling MFA and Conditional Access policies in Azure AD could have prevented the attacker from signing in even with stolen credentials, as the sign-in would be challenged. This highlights that the customer's primary responsibility is to implement identity protection mechanisms, not just rely on Microsoft's default security.
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.
- →
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SC-900 questions
1,411 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals SC-900 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SC-900 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SC-900 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions.
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity.
SC-900 fundamentals practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 fundamentals.
SC-900 scenario practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 scenario.
SC-900 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free SC-900 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: The customer is responsible because they control user devices, accounts, and access policies. — Under the shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for securing user devices, managing user accounts, and configuring access policies. In this scenario, the keylogging malware on the employee's corporate laptop is a customer-side endpoint security issue, and the attacker used stolen credentials to access Exchange Online. Microsoft is responsible for the security of the cloud infrastructure (e.g., physical data centers, network, and hypervisor), but not for threats originating from compromised customer-managed devices or user 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.