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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
According to the Zero Trust security model, which principle assumes that a breach has already occurred and therefore requires segmenting access and monitoring for lateral movement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Assume breach
Option C is correct because the 'Assume breach' principle of the Zero Trust security model explicitly operates under the mindset that a breach has already occurred or is inevitable. This drives the need for segmenting access (e.g., micro-segmentation using network policies or Azure Virtual Network security groups) and continuous monitoring for lateral movement (e.g., using Microsoft Defender for Identity to detect pass-the-hash or Kerberos ticket 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.
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Verify explicitly
Why it's wrong here
Verify explicitly means always authenticate and authorize based on all available data points, not assuming breach.
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Use least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Use least privilege limits access to only what is needed, but does not inherently assume a breach.
✓
Assume breach
Why this is correct
Assume breach is the correct principle; it treats the network as already compromised, leading to segmentation and intense monitoring.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Trust but verify
Why it's wrong here
Trust but verify is a traditional security concept, not one of the Zero Trust principles.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Microsoft often tests the distinction between 'Assume breach' and 'Verify explicitly' by presenting a scenario where a candidate might confuse the proactive verification of every request with the reactive assumption that a breach has already occurred, leading them to incorrectly select 'Verify explicitly' when the question specifically asks about segmentation and lateral movement monitoring.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, 'Assume breach' forces the implementation of micro-segmentation, often using software-defined networking (SDN) policies or Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs) to isolate workloads, even within the same virtual network. This principle also drives the deployment of lateral movement detection tools like Microsoft Defender for Identity, which analyzes Active Directory traffic for anomalies such as unusual service ticket requests (e.g., Kerberos TGS_REP) or abnormal remote desktop connections. In a real-world scenario, if an attacker compromises a single endpoint, 'Assume breach' ensures that the compromised host cannot pivot to a domain controller because network segmentation and continuous monitoring block and alert on that lateral movement.
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: Assume breach — Option C is correct because the 'Assume breach' principle of the Zero Trust security model explicitly operates under the mindset that a breach has already occurred or is inevitable. This drives the need for segmenting access (e.g., micro-segmentation using network policies or Azure Virtual Network security groups) and continuous monitoring for lateral movement (e.g., using Microsoft Defender for Identity to detect pass-the-hash or Kerberos ticket 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.
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Question Discussion
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