SC-900 Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Practice Question
A company uses Microsoft Entra ID and Intune for mobile device management. They want to grant access to a confidential project management site only from devices that are encrypted and have the latest anti-malware updates. Which Conditional Access assignment should they configure to enforce this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'Device state' (which enforces device compliance like encryption and anti-malware) with 'Sign-in risk' or 'User risk', which are identity-focused risk detections unrelated to device health.
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
✓
Device state
(Device state) is correct because Conditional Access policies can use the 'Device state' condition to require that devices are marked as compliant or are hybrid Azure AD joined. Compliance is determined by Intune compliance policies, which can enforce requirements like encryption and up-to-date anti-malware. By setting the 'Device state' condition to 'Compliant device' or 'Hybrid Azure AD joined device', access to the confidential site is granted only to devices meeting those security baselines.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Sign-in risk
Why it's wrong here
Sign-in risk is a Conditional Access condition that evaluates the probability of a sign-in being illegitimate based on real-time and historical data. It analyzes factors such as IP address anomalies, impossible travel, and unfamiliar sign-in properties to detect suspicious activity. This condition focuses on the integrity of the sign-in event itself, not the compliance status or health of the device being used for access.
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Device state
Why this is correct
The 'Device state' Conditional Access condition specifically evaluates whether a device is marked as compliant by a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution like Microsoft Intune. This condition enforces that the device meets predefined security baselines, such as requiring disk encryption, an up-to-date operating system, or active anti-malware protection. By leveraging Intune's compliance reporting, this condition ensures only trusted and healthy devices can access corporate resources.
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User risk
Why it's wrong here
User risk is a Conditional Access condition designed to detect the likelihood that a user's identity has been compromised. It assesses various signals, including leaked credentials, password spray attacks, and other anomalous user behaviors, to determine if the user account itself is at risk. This condition focuses on the integrity of the user's identity and credentials, rather than the security configuration or compliance status of the device they are using.
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Application
Why it's wrong here
The 'Application' Conditional Access condition is used to specify which cloud applications or user actions a policy applies to. This condition allows administrators to scope policies to protect specific resources, such as Microsoft 365 apps, SaaS applications, or custom enterprise applications. While crucial for defining the policy's target, it does not assess or enforce any security posture or compliance requirements on the device attempting to access those applications.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
Key term
Malware
Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage, disrupt operations, steal data, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
Key term
Conditional access
Conditional access is a security framework that evaluates signals like user location, device health, and risk level to grant or block access to resources in real time.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.