- A
Confidentiality
Confidentiality ensures that sensitive data is not disclosed to unauthorized entities. Encryption transforms data into an unreadable format without the decryption key, thus protecting its confidentiality even if the physical storage is compromised.
- B
Integrity
Why wrong: Integrity ensures that data has not been altered or tampered with. While some encryption methods provide integrity guarantees (e.g., authenticated encryption), the primary purpose of encrypting stored data is to protect its confidentiality, not its integrity.
- C
Availability
Why wrong: Availability ensures that authorized users can access data when needed. Encryption does not inherently affect availability; in fact, if encryption keys are lost, availability can be negatively impacted. The scenario focuses on preventing unauthorized reads, not on ensuring access.
- D
Auditability
Why wrong: Auditability refers to the ability to track and log access to data. Encryption itself does not provide logging or tracking; it is a separate control often complemented by audit logs.
Quick Answer
The answer is confidentiality. AES-256 encryption protects the secrecy of patient data by rendering it unreadable to anyone without the correct decryption key, even if an attacker physically copies the database file. This directly fulfills the encryption confidentiality goal, ensuring that unauthorized access does not lead to data exposure. On the SC-900 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the CIA triad, specifically how encryption at rest safeguards stored data against breaches. A common trap is confusing confidentiality with integrity or availability—remember that confidentiality is about keeping secrets secret, not about preventing changes or ensuring access. A helpful memory tip is to think of encryption as a locked diary: the lock ensures confidentiality, while the diary’s contents remain unchanged (integrity) and accessible only to you (availability).
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 hospital encrypts patient data stored in a database using AES-256 encryption. If an attacker manages to copy the database file, they cannot read the protected information. Which security goal is primarily achieved by this encryption measure?
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
AES-256 encryption ensures that even if an attacker gains unauthorized access to the database file, the data remains unreadable without the decryption key. This directly protects the secrecy of the patient data, which is the definition of confidentiality. In the context of the SC-900, encryption at rest is a primary mechanism for achieving confidentiality of stored data.
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.
- ✓
Confidentiality
Why this is correct
Confidentiality ensures that sensitive data is not disclosed to unauthorized entities. Encryption transforms data into an unreadable format without the decryption key, thus protecting its confidentiality even if the physical storage is compromised.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity ensures that data has not been altered or tampered with. While some encryption methods provide integrity guarantees (e.g., authenticated encryption), the primary purpose of encrypting stored data is to protect its confidentiality, not its integrity.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures that authorized users can access data when needed. Encryption does not inherently affect availability; in fact, if encryption keys are lost, availability can be negatively impacted. The scenario focuses on preventing unauthorized reads, not on ensuring access.
- ✗
Auditability
Why it's wrong here
Auditability refers to the ability to track and log access to data. Encryption itself does not provide logging or tracking; it is a separate control often complemented by audit logs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Microsoft often tests the distinction between confidentiality and integrity, where candidates mistakenly think encryption also verifies that data hasn't been changed, but encryption alone provides no tamper detection—that requires a separate integrity mechanism like HMAC or digital signatures.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Availability ensures that authorized users can access data when needed. Encryption does not inherently affect availability; in fact, if encryption keys are lost, availability can be negatively impacted. The scenario focuses on preventing unauthorized reads, not on ensuring access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AES-256 is a symmetric block cipher using a 256-bit key, operating on 128-bit blocks with 14 rounds of substitution and permutation. In a database context, transparent data encryption (TDE) often uses AES-256 to encrypt data at the file or page level, so the database engine automatically decrypts data for authorized queries but the underlying files remain ciphertext. A real-world scenario is a stolen backup tape: without the key, the encrypted backup is useless to the attacker, preserving confidentiality.
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: Confidentiality — AES-256 encryption ensures that even if an attacker gains unauthorized access to the database file, the data remains unreadable without the decryption key. This directly protects the secrecy of the patient data, which is the definition of confidentiality. In the context of the SC-900, encryption at rest is a primary mechanism for achieving confidentiality of stored data.
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 30, 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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