SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
A security team manages a hybrid environment with on-premises Windows servers and Azure VMs. They need a solution that can detect lateral movement attacks, pass-the-hash attempts, and anomalous service account behavior on the on-premises Active Directory environment. They also want these alerts to be integrated into Microsoft Defender for Cloud for centralized monitoring. Which Microsoft security solution should they deploy on their on-premises domain controllers?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Microsoft Defender for Identity with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, assuming endpoint protection covers identity threats, but MDI is the only solution that directly monitors on-premises Active Directory for lateral movement and pass-the-hash attacks.
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 monitor on-premises Active Directory traffic and detect advanced threats like lateral movement, pass-the-hash, and anomalous service account behavior. It integrates directly with Microsoft Defender for Cloud to provide centralized alerting and investigation across hybrid environments.
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 Office 365
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a cloud-native security service focused on protecting an organization's Microsoft 365 environment. It provides advanced threat protection against phishing, malware, spam, and business email compromise across email, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams. Its capabilities are specifically designed to safeguard data and users within the M365 ecosystem, not to monitor or detect threats against on-premises Active Directory infrastructure.
- ✓
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Why this is correct
Microsoft Defender for Identity is a cloud-based security solution specifically engineered to protect hybrid identity environments, integrating deeply with on-premises Active Directory. It leverages network traffic from domain controllers and Windows events to detect suspicious user and entity behavior, identifying advanced threats like reconnaissance, lateral movement, Golden Ticket attacks, and other identity-based attacks. This service provides crucial visibility and detection capabilities for attacks targeting the core authentication system in a hybrid setup.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an enterprise endpoint security platform that provides endpoint detection and response (EDR), vulnerability management, and next-generation antivirus capabilities. It focuses on protecting individual devices, such as workstations and servers, by monitoring their operating systems and applications for malicious activity, fileless attacks, and process injection. While it can detect threats originating from an endpoint that might eventually impact Active Directory, its primary scope is device-level security, not the direct protection or monitoring of Active Directory services or protocols.
- ✗
Microsoft Intune
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service in the Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite that focuses on mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM). It enables organizations to manage and secure corporate and personal devices, enforce compliance policies, deploy applications, and configure device settings. Intune's role is to ensure devices and applications meet security standards before accessing corporate resources, rather than providing threat detection or identity protection for Active Directory itself.
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Core Security Concepts
Key term
Defender for Identity
Defender for Identity is a cloud-based security solution that detects, investigates, and responds to advanced identity threats targeting on-premises Active Directory and cloud identities.
Key term
Microsoft Defender
Microsoft Defender is a suite of security products that protects devices, data, and identities from cyber threats like malware, phishing, and unauthorized access.
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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.