SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
A healthcare organization stores patient records in an encrypted database. Access to the database is restricted to authorized medical staff only. Which security principle is primarily being addressed by these measures?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse confidentiality with integrity, mistakenly thinking that encryption alone also prevents data tampering, but encryption does not inherently protect against unauthorized modification unless combined with integrity checks like hashing or digital signatures.
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
✓
Confidentiality
Confidentiality ensures that sensitive data, such as patient records, is accessible only to authorized individuals. Encryption renders the data unreadable to unauthorized parties, and access restrictions enforce that only authorized medical staff can decrypt and view the records. This directly aligns with the principle of confidentiality, which is a core pillar of the CIA triad.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity focuses on safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of data throughout its lifecycle, preventing unauthorized or accidental modification. While encryption can indirectly contribute by making unauthorized tampering more difficult to conceal, its primary function is not to detect or prevent alterations. Mechanisms like hashing, digital signatures, and strict write access controls are more directly employed to ensure data integrity, which is distinct from preventing unauthorized viewing.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing measures to prevent unauthorized alteration of patient records, such as using checksums or audit logs to detect changes, would make integrity the correct answer.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures that authorized users can reliably access information systems and data when needed, without undue delay or interruption. This principle is maintained through redundant systems, regular backups, disaster recovery plans, and robust infrastructure to prevent service outages. While access controls are crucial for security, the act of encrypting data and restricting access (to uphold confidentiality) does not inherently guarantee system uptime or the readiness of data for authorized use; in fact, mismanaged encryption keys could hinder availability.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing measures like redundant servers, backup power, and disaster recovery plans to ensure systems remain operational despite failures or attacks would make availability the correct answer.
- ✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation provides undeniable proof that a specific action or event occurred, preventing an entity from falsely denying its involvement. This is typically achieved through cryptographic digital signatures, secure audit trails, and robust logging mechanisms that link an action to a specific user. Storing encrypted patient records primarily addresses who can access and view the data, not the accountability of users performing actions on the system or the data itself.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing a system where digital signatures are used to prove that a specific doctor accessed or modified a patient record, and the goal is to prevent the doctor from denying that action. For example: 'A hospital implements digital signatures for all electronic prescriptions to ensure that prescribers cannot deny having issued them. Which principle is being addressed?'
- ✓
Confidentiality
Why this is correct
Confidentiality is the fundamental security principle ensuring that sensitive information, such as patient records, is protected from unauthorized disclosure and access. Encryption directly supports confidentiality by rendering data unreadable to anyone without the correct decryption key, even if they gain access to the encrypted files. This mechanism, combined with robust access controls, ensures that only authorized individuals can view or process the confidential patient data.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SC-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓ConfidentialityCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Confidentiality is the fundamental security principle ensuring that sensitive information, such as patient records, is protected from unauthorized disclosure and access. Encryption directly supports confidentiality by rendering data unreadable to anyone without the correct decryption key, even if they gain access to the encrypted files. This mechanism, combined with robust access controls, ensures that only authorized individuals can view or process the confidential patient data.
✗IntegrityWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question focuses on restricting access to authorized users and encrypting data, which directly protects data from unauthorized disclosure (confidentiality), not from unauthorized modification (integrity).
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing measures to prevent unauthorized alteration of patient records, such as using checksums or audit logs to detect changes, would make integrity the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse encryption with integrity because encryption can also detect tampering in some modes, but the primary goal here is access restriction, not data alteration prevention.
✗AvailabilityWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question focuses on encryption and access restrictions, which protect data from unauthorized disclosure, not on ensuring data is accessible when needed (availability).
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing measures like redundant servers, backup power, and disaster recovery plans to ensure systems remain operational despite failures or attacks would make availability the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'access restricted to authorized staff' with ensuring that authorized staff can always access the data, but the primary goal here is preventing unauthorized access, not guaranteeing uptime.
✗Non-repudiationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Non-repudiation ensures that actions cannot be denied by the parties involved, typically through digital signatures or audit logs. The question focuses on restricting access and encrypting data, which directly protects confidentiality, not non-repudiation.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing a system where digital signatures are used to prove that a specific doctor accessed or modified a patient record, and the goal is to prevent the doctor from denying that action. For example: 'A hospital implements digital signatures for all electronic prescriptions to ensure that prescribers cannot deny having issued them. Which principle is being addressed?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse non-repudiation with confidentiality because both involve security controls like encryption and access logs, but non-repudiation specifically addresses accountability and denial prevention, not data secrecy.
Analysis generated from the official SC-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
Key term
Encryption
Encryption is the process of converting readable data into a secret code to prevent unauthorized access.
Key term
CIA triad
The CIA triad is a foundational security model that guides organizations in protecting data through confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
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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.