- A
Use the secure score recommendations and look for CIS-related controls
Why wrong: The secure score aggregates recommendations for security best practices but does not directly map to specific regulatory standards like CIS. Some recommendations may align, but a dedicated compliance view is needed.
- B
Use the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and add the CIS standard as a compliance initiative
Correct. The Regulatory Compliance dashboard in Defender for Cloud allows you to add built-in compliance initiatives, including CIS benchmarks, to view your compliance posture against that standard.
- C
Use Azure Policy initiative assignments directly from the Policy service
Why wrong: While CIS benchmarks are implemented as Azure Policy initiatives, the user can view compliance in Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard. The Policy service shows compliance per initiative, but the question asks specifically about Defender for Cloud.
- D
Use the vulnerability assessment solution for machines to check CIS settings
Why wrong: Vulnerability assessment scans for software vulnerabilities and misconfigurations but does not provide a comprehensive compliance overview against the full CIS benchmark.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and add the CIS standard as a compliance initiative. This is correct because Microsoft Defender for Cloud integrates with Azure Policy to continuously assess your Azure resources against the CIS benchmark controls, displaying a clear pass or fail status once the standard is added as an initiative. For the SC-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Defender for Cloud centralizes compliance monitoring, often appearing as a scenario where you must distinguish between the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and other security features like Secure Score or Workload Protections. A common trap is confusing the dashboard’s role with manual assessment tools, but remember that adding a built-in standard like CIS triggers automated evaluation. Memory tip: think “Regulatory Compliance = the checklist you add standards to,” and you’ll always pick the dashboard over manual checks.
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft security solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 Defender for Cloud to secure their Azure environment. The security team needs to check whether their resources comply with the CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmark. How can they view their compliance status against CIS in Defender for Cloud?
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 the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and add the CIS standard as a compliance initiative
The Regulatory Compliance dashboard in Microsoft Defender for Cloud allows you to add built-in compliance standards like CIS as an initiative. Once added, the dashboard continuously assesses your Azure resources against the CIS benchmark controls and displays pass/fail status. This is the correct method because Defender for Cloud integrates with Azure Policy to evaluate compliance against regulatory standards.
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.
- ✗
Use the secure score recommendations and look for CIS-related controls
Why it's wrong here
The secure score aggregates recommendations for security best practices but does not directly map to specific regulatory standards like CIS. Some recommendations may align, but a dedicated compliance view is needed.
- ✓
Use the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and add the CIS standard as a compliance initiative
Why this is correct
Correct. The Regulatory Compliance dashboard in Defender for Cloud allows you to add built-in compliance initiatives, including CIS benchmarks, to view your compliance posture against that standard.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Azure Policy initiative assignments directly from the Policy service
Why it's wrong here
While CIS benchmarks are implemented as Azure Policy initiatives, the user can view compliance in Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard. The Policy service shows compliance per initiative, but the question asks specifically about Defender for Cloud.
- ✗
Use the vulnerability assessment solution for machines to check CIS settings
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability assessment scans for software vulnerabilities and misconfigurations but does not provide a comprehensive compliance overview against the full CIS benchmark.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse secure score recommendations with regulatory compliance assessments, assuming that secure score covers all compliance standards, when in fact secure score is a separate metric based on security controls, not specific regulatory frameworks like CIS.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
While CIS benchmarks are implemented as Azure Policy initiatives, the user can view compliance in Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard. The Policy service shows compliance per initiative, but the question asks specifically about Defender for Cloud.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard uses Azure Policy initiatives that include built-in policy definitions mapped to CIS controls (e.g., CIS Microsoft Azure Foundations Benchmark v1.3.0). When you add the CIS standard, Defender for Cloud automatically assigns the corresponding initiative to your subscriptions and evaluates resources every 24 hours, updating the compliance status in near real-time. A subtle behavior is that you must have the required permissions (e.g., Security Admin) to add standards, and the dashboard shows both passed and failed controls, with drill-down to specific resources.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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 capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and add the CIS standard as a compliance initiative — The Regulatory Compliance dashboard in Microsoft Defender for Cloud allows you to add built-in compliance standards like CIS as an initiative. Once added, the dashboard continuously assesses your Azure resources against the CIS benchmark controls and displays pass/fail status. This is the correct method because Defender for Cloud integrates with Azure Policy to evaluate compliance against regulatory standards.
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
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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SC-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your company uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud to secure Azure resources. You need to assess compliance with the CIS benchmark. What should you enable?
easy- A.Azure Policy
- ✓ B.Regulatory compliance standards in Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- C.Microsoft Sentinel
- D.Azure Firewall
Why B: Option A is correct because regulatory compliance standards in Defender for Cloud include CIS benchmarks. Option B is wrong because Azure Firewall is a network security service, not compliance assessment. Option C is wrong because Microsoft Sentinel is a SIEM. Option D is wrong because Azure Policy is used for compliance but within Defender for Cloud you enable regulatory compliance standards.
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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