- A
Availability and integrity
Why wrong: Availability ensures data is accessible when needed, which is not primarily addressed by encryption or access controls. While integrity is partially addressed, availability is not the focus here.
- B
Confidentiality and integrity
Correct. Encryption ensures confidentiality by preventing unauthorized reading. Role-based access control ensures integrity by preventing unauthorized modifications.
- C
Confidentiality and availability
Encryption does support confidentiality, but availability is not directly addressed by the scenarios (encryption and access controls do not guarantee uptime).
- D
Privacy and accountability
Why wrong: Privacy is related but not a core security principle in the CIA triad. Accountability involves auditing and non-repudiation, which are not described.
Quick Answer
The answer is confidentiality and integrity. Encryption at rest and in transit directly protects confidentiality by ensuring that sensitive customer data cannot be read by unauthorized parties, while role-based access control (RBAC) upholds integrity by restricting data modification to only authorized users, preventing unauthorized or accidental changes. On the SC-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the CIA triad—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—and how specific controls map to each principle. A common trap is confusing integrity with availability; remember that encryption guards secrecy (confidentiality), while RBAC ensures data accuracy and trustworthiness (integrity). For a quick memory tip, think “Encryption for Eyes, RBAC for Edits”—the first keeps data hidden, the second keeps data correct.
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 stores sensitive customer data in a cloud database. The security team uses encryption to protect the data while it is stored and while it is transmitted. They also implement role-based access control to ensure only authorized users can modify the data. Which two security principles are primarily being upheld by these actions?
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
Confidentiality and integrity
Encryption at rest and in transit directly protects the confidentiality of sensitive customer data by preventing unauthorized access. Role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only authorized users can modify the data, which upholds integrity by preventing unauthorized or accidental changes. Together, these actions primarily uphold the security principles of confidentiality and integrity.
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.
- ✗
Availability and integrity
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures data is accessible when needed, which is not primarily addressed by encryption or access controls. While integrity is partially addressed, availability is not the focus here.
- ✓
Confidentiality and integrity
Why this is correct
Correct. Encryption ensures confidentiality by preventing unauthorized reading. Role-based access control ensures integrity by preventing unauthorized modifications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Confidentiality and availability
Why this is correct
Encryption does support confidentiality, but availability is not directly addressed by the scenarios (encryption and access controls do not guarantee uptime).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Privacy and accountability
Why it's wrong here
Privacy is related but not a core security principle in the CIA triad. Accountability involves auditing and non-repudiation, which are not described.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'availability' with 'integrity' because both involve data protection, but encryption and RBAC do not guarantee system uptime or redundancy, which are required for availability.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Encryption at rest (e.g., using AES-256 with Azure Storage Service Encryption) and in transit (e.g., TLS 1.2/1.3) ensures that data is unreadable without the proper decryption keys, even if storage media or network traffic is intercepted. RBAC in Azure uses Azure Active Directory to assign roles like 'SQL DB Contributor' that grant precise permissions, enforcing the principle of least privilege to prevent unauthorized modifications. A subtle behavior is that encryption alone does not protect against authorized users making malicious changes, which is why RBAC is critical for integrity.
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 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: Confidentiality and integrity — Encryption at rest and in transit directly protects the confidentiality of sensitive customer data by preventing unauthorized access. Role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only authorized users can modify the data, which upholds integrity by preventing unauthorized or accidental changes. Together, these actions primarily uphold the security principles of confidentiality and integrity.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SC-900
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 healthcare organization stores sensitive patient records in a cloud database. The database is encrypted at rest using AES-256. If an attacker gains access to the physical storage media, they cannot read the data. Which security concept does this encryption primarily provide?
easy- ✓ A.Confidentiality
- B.Integrity
- C.Availability
- D.Authorization
Why A: Encryption at rest using AES-256 ensures that data stored on physical media is unreadable without the decryption key. If an attacker gains physical access to the storage media, the ciphertext cannot be deciphered, directly protecting the secrecy of the data. This aligns with the security goal of confidentiality, which prevents unauthorized disclosure of information.
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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