- A
Conditional Access
Correct. A Conditional Access policy can be configured to block all sign-ins from legacy authentication protocols by targeting the 'Other clients' app type and setting the access control to block.
- B
Identity Protection
Why wrong: Identity Protection detects risks such as leaked credentials or anonymous IP addresses but does not block legacy authentication protocols directly.
- C
Azure AD Application Proxy
Why wrong: Application Proxy provides remote access to on-premises applications via reverse proxy; it does not address legacy authentication blocking.
- D
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Why wrong: PIM manages just-in-time privileged access to roles, not authentication protocol enforcement.
Question 1,035 of 1,411
Block Legacy Authentication Protocols with Conditional Access
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company has discovered that many account compromise attacks are using legacy authentication protocols (e.g., IMAP, POP3, SMTP) which do not support multi-factor authentication. They want to block all sign-ins that use these protocols to reduce risk. Which Microsoft Entra ID feature should they use to enforce this block?
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
✓
Conditional Access
Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID can be configured to block access from legacy authentication protocols (such as IMAP, POP3, and SMTP) by targeting the 'Client apps' condition. Since these protocols do not support modern authentication methods like MFA, blocking them directly reduces the attack surface for account compromise. This is the correct feature to enforce the block.
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.
- ✓
Conditional Access
Why this is correct
Correct. A Conditional Access policy can be configured to block all sign-ins from legacy authentication protocols by targeting the 'Other clients' app type and setting the access control to block.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Identity Protection
Why it's wrong here
Identity Protection detects risks such as leaked credentials or anonymous IP addresses but does not block legacy authentication protocols directly.
When this WOULD be correct
Identity Protection would be correct in a question asking: 'Which feature should an administrator use to automatically block sign-ins when a user's credentials are found to be leaked on the dark web?'
- ✗
Azure AD Application Proxy
Why it's wrong here
Application Proxy provides remote access to on-premises applications via reverse proxy; it does not address legacy authentication blocking.
- ✗
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Why it's wrong here
PIM manages just-in-time privileged access to roles, not authentication protocol enforcement.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SC-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Conditional AccessCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Correct. A Conditional Access policy can be configured to block all sign-ins from legacy authentication protocols by targeting the 'Other clients' app type and setting the access control to block.
✗Identity ProtectionWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Identity Protection detects and remediates risks like leaked credentials or anomalous sign-ins, but it does not block legacy authentication protocols. Blocking specific protocols is done via Conditional Access policies.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Identity Protection would be correct in a question asking: 'Which feature should an administrator use to automatically block sign-ins when a user's credentials are found to be leaked on the dark web?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Identity Protection's risk-based policies with the ability to block legacy authentication, as both involve security controls for sign-ins.
✗Azure AD Application ProxyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure AD Application Proxy is used to provide secure remote access to on-premises web applications, not to block legacy authentication protocols. It does not enforce authentication policies or block specific sign-in methods.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to provide secure remote access to an internal web application for external users without a VPN. Azure AD Application Proxy would be the correct solution to publish the app and apply pre-authentication and conditional access policies.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Application Proxy with a security feature that controls access, but it is actually a reverse proxy for publishing apps, not a policy engine for blocking authentication protocols.
Analysis generated from the official SC-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Identity Protection's risk-based policies with Conditional Access's protocol-level controls, assuming that blocking legacy authentication is a risk-detection feature rather than a conditional access rule.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Conditional Access policies evaluate sign-in requests based on conditions like client app type, location, and device state. Legacy authentication protocols (e.g., IMAP, POP3, SMTP) are identified by the 'Client apps' condition under 'Exchange ActiveSync clients' and 'Other clients'. When blocked, the authentication attempt is denied at the Entra ID level before any token is issued, effectively preventing the use of these protocols even if the credentials are valid.
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-900 question test?
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Conditional Access — Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID can be configured to block access from legacy authentication protocols (such as IMAP, POP3, and SMTP) by targeting the 'Client apps' condition. Since these protocols do not support modern authentication methods like MFA, blocking them directly reduces the attack surface for account compromise. This is the correct feature to enforce the block.
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
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 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 company's security team discovers that most recent account compromises resulted from attackers exploiting legacy authentication protocols (POP3, IMAP, SMTP Auth) that do not support multi-factor authentication. The team wants to immediately block all sign-in attempts using these legacy protocols while still allowing modern authentication methods (e.g., OAuth 2.0). Which Microsoft Entra ID feature should they configure?
medium- ✓ A.Conditional Access
- B.Identity Protection
- C.Privileged Identity Management
- D.Multi-factor Authentication
Why A: Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID can be configured to block authentication attempts from legacy protocols (POP3, IMAP, SMTP Auth) by targeting client apps that do not support modern authentication. This allows the security team to immediately enforce a block on all sign-ins using these protocols while still permitting modern OAuth 2.0-based methods, directly addressing the requirement without disabling MFA for users who can use modern clients.
Variation 2. A company's security team discovers that several recent account compromises originated from attackers using legacy mail protocols (POP3, IMAP) which do not support multi-factor authentication. The team wants to immediately prevent any sign-in attempts using these protocols. Which Microsoft Entra ID feature should they configure to enforce this restriction?
medium- ✓ A.Conditional Access
- B.Identity Protection
- C.Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
- D.Microsoft Entra Password Protection
Why A: Conditional Access in Microsoft Entra ID allows administrators to create policies that control access based on conditions such as client apps. By configuring a policy to block authentication requests from legacy authentication protocols (POP3, IMAP, SMTP, etc.), the security team can immediately prevent sign-in attempts that do not support multi-factor authentication, effectively mitigating the risk of account compromise via these outdated protocols.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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