Auto-Classification of Credit Card Emails with Sensitivity Labels
Your company uses Microsoft Purview Information Protection to classify and protect sensitive data. You need to ensure that when a user sends an email containing a credit card number, the email is automatically encrypted and a custom footer is added. Which two components should you configure?
Quick Answer
The answer is an auto-labeling policy that applies a sensitivity label configured with a sensitive info type for credit card numbers. This works because Microsoft Purview Information Protection uses auto-classification to scan email content for patterns like credit card numbers, and the sensitivity label can be set to automatically apply encryption and a custom footer upon detection. On the SC-900 exam, this tests your understanding of how auto-labeling policies differ from Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, which only block or warn, and retention policies, which manage lifecycle—a common trap is confusing DLP’s alerting capability with the encryption enforcement of sensitivity labels. Remember the mnemonic “Label Locks, DLP Warns” to recall that only sensitivity labels, via auto-labeling, can automatically encrypt and add footers to emails containing classified data.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse DLP policies with sensitivity labels, thinking DLP can enforce encryption and footers, but DLP only detects and blocks, while sensitivity labels with auto-labeling policies handle classification, encryption, and footers.
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
✓
Sensitivity label with auto-classification for credit card numbers
Sensitivity labels with auto-classification for credit card numbers (Option B) allow automatic detection and classification of sensitive data types like credit card numbers. An auto-labeling policy (Option C) then applies the sensitivity label to emails, which can enforce encryption and add a custom footer. Together, these components ensure that emails containing credit card numbers are automatically encrypted and footers are added.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy for credit card numbers
Why it's wrong here
DLP can block or warn but does not encrypt or add footers.
- ✓
Sensitivity label with auto-classification for credit card numbers
Why this is correct
The label can detect credit card numbers and apply encryption.
- ✓
Auto-labeling policy that applies the sensitivity label to emails
Why this is correct
The policy applies the label and enforces encryption and footer.
- ✗
Retention label and policy for credit card data
Why it's wrong here
Retention policies manage data lifecycle, not encryption or footers.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Microsoft Entra ID
Key term
Encryption
Encryption is the process of converting readable data into a secret code to prevent unauthorized access.
Key term
Labels
Labels are descriptive text or tags attached to IT resources to organize, identify, and manage them based on attributes like purpose, environment, or owner.
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Variation 1. Your company wants to use Microsoft Purview to classify and protect sensitive data in Microsoft 365. The compliance team needs to automatically detect credit card numbers in emails and apply a label that encrypts the email. What should they configure?
easy- A.A trainable classifier for credit card numbers
- B.A retention label for credit card information
- C.A data loss prevention (DLP) policy
- ✓ D.A sensitivity label with auto-labeling for sensitive information types
Why D: Sensitivity labels with auto-labeling can automatically detect sensitive information types (such as credit card numbers) in emails and apply a label that enforces encryption. This meets the requirement to both classify and protect the data in transit.
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.