- A
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Why wrong: Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a CASB that focuses on shadow IT discovery, cloud app governance, and user activity monitoring in SaaS applications, not specifically on on-premises Active Directory attacks.
- B
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Why wrong: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) and antivirus capabilities for devices, but it is not specifically designed to detect Active Directory credential attacks like Pass-the-Hash.
- C
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Correct. Microsoft Defender for Identity is purpose-built to detect advanced threats targeting on-premises Active Directory, such as Pass-the-Hash, Golden Ticket, and compromised credentials.
- D
Microsoft Sentinel
Why wrong: Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM/SOAR solution that can ingest security logs from various sources, but it does not have specialized, built-in detection logic for on-premises Active Directory attacks. Defender for Identity provides such specialized detections and can feed alerts to Sentinel.
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 security team needs to detect and investigate advanced attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory accounts, such as Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. Which Microsoft security solution should they deploy?
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 specifically designed to detect advanced attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory, such as Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. It uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to monitor AD traffic, Kerberos authentication, and NTLM protocol anomalies, identifying lateral movement and privilege escalation attempts that characterize these attacks.
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 Apps
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a CASB that focuses on shadow IT discovery, cloud app governance, and user activity monitoring in SaaS applications, not specifically on on-premises Active Directory attacks.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) and antivirus capabilities for devices, but it is not specifically designed to detect Active Directory credential attacks like Pass-the-Hash.
- ✓
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Why this is correct
Correct. Microsoft Defender for Identity is purpose-built to detect advanced threats targeting on-premises Active Directory, such as Pass-the-Hash, Golden Ticket, and compromised credentials.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Sentinel
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM/SOAR solution that can ingest security logs from various sources, but it does not have specialized, built-in detection logic for on-premises Active Directory attacks. Defender for Identity provides such specialized detections and can feed alerts to Sentinel.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Microsoft Defender for Identity with Microsoft Sentinel or Defender for Endpoint, not realizing that only Defender for Identity provides dedicated, protocol-level detection for on-premises Active Directory attacks like PtH and Golden Ticket.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Pass-the-Hash attacks exploit NTLM authentication by reusing captured password hashes to authenticate as another user, while Golden Ticket attacks forge Kerberos Ticket-Granting Tickets (TGTs) using the KRBTGT account hash. Defender for Identity monitors for anomalies such as abnormal Kerberos ticket requests, unusual NTLM logon patterns, and suspicious service account behavior, correlating these with Active Directory event IDs (e.g., 4624, 4768, 4769) to detect attacks in real time.
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
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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 specifically designed to detect advanced attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory, such as Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. It uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to monitor AD traffic, Kerberos authentication, and NTLM protocol anomalies, identifying lateral movement and privilege escalation attempts that characterize these attacks.
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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