The answer is Verify explicitly, Least Privilege, and Assume Breach. These three core principles of Zero Trust directly align with the requirements because Verify explicitly mandates that every access request must be fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access, using strong mechanisms like multifactor authentication and continuous validation rather than relying on network location. Least Privilege ensures access is granted only to the minimum necessary resources, limiting the blast radius of any breach. Assume Breach completes the triad by designing the network and policies as if a breach has already occurred, segmenting access and monitoring continuously. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this question tests your ability to map specific security controls to the three foundational Zero Trust pillars, and a common trap is confusing Assume Breach with a reactive measure rather than a proactive design principle. A helpful memory tip is the acronym VLA: Verify, Least, Assume—think of it as “Very Little Assumption” to recall that Zero Trust trusts nothing by default.
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. 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 security architect is designing a new security posture based on the Zero Trust model. The architect wants to ensure that every access request is fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access, and that access is granted only to the minimum necessary resources. Which three principles of Zero Trust align with these requirements? (Choose three.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Correct. This principle states that every access request must be fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access.
B
Least privilege access
Correct. This principle ensures users are granted only the minimum necessary access to perform their tasks, aligning with the requirement to grant access only to necessary resources.
C
Assume breach
Correct. Assume breach means minimizing the blast radius and segmenting access to limit damage if a breach occurs, supporting continuous verification and encryption.
D
Network segmentation
Why wrong: Incorrect. While network segmentation is a technique used to support the 'Assume breach' principle, it is not one of the three core guiding principles of Zero Trust.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify explicitly
Option A is correct because the 'Verify explicitly' principle of Zero Trust requires that every access request must be fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access. This means using strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., multifactor authentication) and continuous validation of identity and device health, not just relying on network location or implicit trust.
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.
✓
Verify explicitly
Why this is correct
Correct. This principle states that every access request must be fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Least privilege access
Why this is correct
Correct. This principle ensures users are granted only the minimum necessary access to perform their tasks, aligning with the requirement to grant access only to necessary resources.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Assume breach
Why this is correct
Correct. Assume breach means minimizing the blast radius and segmenting access to limit damage if a breach occurs, supporting continuous verification and encryption.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Network segmentation
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While network segmentation is a technique used to support the 'Assume breach' principle, it is not one of the three core guiding principles of Zero Trust.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'Network segmentation' as a Zero Trust principle when it is actually a supporting control, not one of the three core pillars (Verify explicitly, Least privilege access, Assume breach) that Microsoft emphasizes in the SC-900 exam.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, 'Verify explicitly' enforces conditional access policies that evaluate signals such as user risk, device compliance, and location in real time via protocols like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. For example, Azure AD Conditional Access can block a request if the device is not compliant, even if the user credentials are valid, ensuring encryption (e.g., TLS 1.2+) is enforced end-to-end.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-900 question in full detail.
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: Verify explicitly — Option A is correct because the 'Verify explicitly' principle of Zero Trust requires that every access request must be fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access. This means using strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., multifactor authentication) and continuous validation of identity and device health, not just relying on network location or implicit trust.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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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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. A security architect explains the Zero Trust model to the board. They state that every access request must be fully authenticated and authorized based on identity, device health, location, and risk, regardless of whether the user is on the corporate network. Which Zero Trust principle does this statement represent?
medium
✓ A.Verify explicitly
B.Least privilege
C.Assume breach
D.Microsegmentation
Why A: The statement emphasizes that every access request must be authenticated and authorized based on identity, device health, location, and risk, regardless of network location. This directly aligns with the 'Verify explicitly' principle of Zero Trust, which mandates that authentication and authorization are performed for every request using all available data points, not just once at the perimeter.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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