- A
Microsoft Defender for Cloud (agentless)
Why wrong: Defender for Cloud provides posture management and threat detection for cloud workloads but does not have built-in agentless capabilities to detect pass-the-hash or Kerberos attacks in on-premises AD.
- B
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Defender for Identity installs sensors on domain controllers to monitor AD traffic and identify advanced attacks. It integrates alerts into Microsoft Defender for Cloud, providing unified visibility.
- C
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why wrong: Defender for Office 365 protects email and collaboration tools in the cloud, not on-premises Active Directory infrastructure.
- D
Microsoft Entra ID Protection
Why wrong: Entra ID Protection uses signals from cloud identity operations to detect risks like leaked credentials or sign-ins from anonymous IPs. It does not protect on-premises Active Directory directly.
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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 has a hybrid environment with on-premises Active Directory. The security team wants to detect advanced attacks such as pass-the-hash, malicious Kerberos ticket activity, and abnormal service account behavior. They want alerts from the on-premises environment to be integrated into Microsoft Defender for Cloud for centralized monitoring. Which Microsoft security solution should they deploy on their domain controllers?
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
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to detect advanced on-premises Active Directory attacks like pass-the-hash, malicious Kerberos ticket activity (e.g., Golden Ticket, Silver Ticket), and abnormal service account behavior. It integrates directly with Microsoft Defender for Cloud to provide centralized monitoring and alerting, fulfilling the requirement for on-premises domain controller protection.
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 Defender for Cloud (agentless)
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Cloud provides posture management and threat detection for cloud workloads but does not have built-in agentless capabilities to detect pass-the-hash or Kerberos attacks in on-premises AD.
- ✓
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Why this is correct
Defender for Identity installs sensors on domain controllers to monitor AD traffic and identify advanced attacks. It integrates alerts into Microsoft Defender for Cloud, providing unified visibility.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Office 365 protects email and collaboration tools in the cloud, not on-premises Active Directory infrastructure.
- ✗
Microsoft Entra ID Protection
Why it's wrong here
Entra ID Protection uses signals from cloud identity operations to detect risks like leaked credentials or sign-ins from anonymous IPs. It does not protect on-premises Active Directory directly.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Microsoft Defender for Cloud (agentless) with Microsoft Defender for Identity, assuming the cloud-based solution can monitor on-premises AD attacks without understanding that MDI is the dedicated on-premises identity threat detection tool.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MDI uses a lightweight sensor installed on domain controllers to capture and analyze network traffic, Windows Event Logs (e.g., Event ID 4624 for logon, Event ID 4768 for Kerberos TGT requests), and Active Directory replication traffic. It builds behavioral baselines for service accounts and detects anomalies like unusual Kerberos ticket requests (e.g., TGT with abnormally long lifetimes) or lateral movement using pass-the-hash. In a real-world scenario, MDI can alert on a service account suddenly authenticating from multiple non-standard workstations, indicating credential theft.
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 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: Microsoft Defender for Identity — Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to detect advanced on-premises Active Directory attacks like pass-the-hash, malicious Kerberos ticket activity (e.g., Golden Ticket, Silver Ticket), and abnormal service account behavior. It integrates directly with Microsoft Defender for Cloud to provide centralized monitoring and alerting, fulfilling the requirement for on-premises domain controller protection.
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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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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