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.
An organization adopts a security model where they never trust a request by default, even if it comes from inside the corporate network. Every access request must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted. They also assume that a breach will happen and design their systems to minimize the blast radius. Which security model does this describe?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "never"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
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.
Why wrong: Defense in depth involves multiple layers of security controls (e.g., firewall, antivirus, access control) but does not inherently reject trust from internal networks.
B
B
Why wrong: Principle of least privilege focuses on granting only the minimum necessary permissions, not on verifying every request regardless of source.
C
C
Correct. Zero Trust is characterized by 'never trust, always verify', assumption of breach, and least-privilege access.
D
D
Why wrong: Shared responsibility model describes the division of security responsibilities between a cloud provider and the customer, not a specific security architecture.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
C
This scenario describes the Zero Trust security model, which operates on the principle of 'never trust, always verify.' It requires authentication, authorization, and encryption for every access request, regardless of origin (inside or outside the network), and assumes breach to minimize blast radius through microsegmentation and least-privilege access. Option C is correct because it aligns with the core tenets of Zero Trust as defined by NIST SP 800-207.
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.
✗
A
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth involves multiple layers of security controls (e.g., firewall, antivirus, access control) but does not inherently reject trust from internal networks.
✗
B
Why it's wrong here
Principle of least privilege focuses on granting only the minimum necessary permissions, not on verifying every request regardless of source.
✓
C
Why this is correct
Correct. Zero Trust is characterized by 'never trust, always verify', assumption of breach, and least-privilege access.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "never", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
D
Why it's wrong here
Shared responsibility model describes the division of security responsibilities between a cloud provider and the customer, not a specific security architecture.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Zero Trust with defense-in-depth or least-privilege, but Zero Trust uniquely requires explicit verification of every request and assumes breach, which is the key differentiator in this question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Zero Trust enforces microsegmentation using technologies like Azure Policy, Network Security Groups (NSGs), and Azure Firewall to isolate workloads and limit lateral movement. It also relies on identity-driven conditional access policies (e.g., Azure AD Conditional Access) that evaluate user, device, location, and risk in real-time before granting access. Under the hood, this model uses protocols like OAuth 2.0 and TLS 1.3 for encryption and token-based authentication, ensuring every request is explicitly verified.
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: C — This scenario describes the Zero Trust security model, which operates on the principle of 'never trust, always verify.' It requires authentication, authorization, and encryption for every access request, regardless of origin (inside or outside the network), and assumes breach to minimize blast radius through microsegmentation and least-privilege access. Option C is correct because it aligns with the core tenets of Zero Trust as defined by NIST SP 800-207.
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: "never", "minimum / minimize". Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.