- A
Confidentiality
Why wrong: Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized access to data. The hash comparison does not protect against disclosure; it checks for alterations.
- B
Integrity
Integrity ensures data has not been tampered with. Matching hashes indicates the file is unchanged, confirming its integrity.
- C
Availability
Why wrong: Availability ensures that data and systems are accessible when needed. The hash comparison does not address availability.
- D
Authentication
Why wrong: Authentication verifies the identity of a user or system. The hash comparison does not verify the identity of the download source; it verifies file integrity.
Question 1,226 of 1,411
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.
A user downloads a software update from a company's internal website. The update file is hashed, and the hash value is published on a separate secure page. After downloading, the user computes the hash of the downloaded file and compares it to the published hash. The two values match. Which security concept is primarily demonstrated by this comparison?
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
✓
Integrity
Hashing is a one-way cryptographic function that produces a fixed-size digest from input data. By comparing the computed hash of the downloaded file to the published hash, the user verifies that the file has not been altered during transit or storage. This directly demonstrates the security concept of integrity, which ensures data has not been tampered with or corrupted.
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.
- ✗
Confidentiality
Why it's wrong here
Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized access to data. The hash comparison does not protect against disclosure; it checks for alterations.
When this WOULD be correct
A user downloads a sensitive document from a company's internal website that is encrypted using HTTPS. The user verifies that the document was not intercepted by checking the TLS certificate. This demonstrates confidentiality because encryption protects the data from being read during transmission.
- ✓
Integrity
Why this is correct
Integrity ensures data has not been tampered with. Matching hashes indicates the file is unchanged, confirming its integrity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures that data and systems are accessible when needed. The hash comparison does not address availability.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing a scenario where a company implements redundant servers and load balancing to ensure users can always download updates, even during high traffic or server failures, would demonstrate availability.
- ✗
Authentication
Why it's wrong here
Authentication verifies the identity of a user or system. The hash comparison does not verify the identity of the download source; it verifies file integrity.
When this WOULD be correct
A user logs in using a password and biometric scan. Which security concept is demonstrated? The answer would be authentication, as it verifies the user's identity.
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.
✓IntegrityCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Integrity ensures data has not been tampered with. Matching hashes indicates the file is unchanged, confirming its integrity.
✗ConfidentialityWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The scenario involves verifying that the file has not been altered, which is a matter of data integrity, not confidentiality. Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized access, not ensuring data remains unchanged.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A user downloads a sensitive document from a company's internal website that is encrypted using HTTPS. The user verifies that the document was not intercepted by checking the TLS certificate. This demonstrates confidentiality because encryption protects the data from being read during transmission.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse hashing with encryption or think that protecting data from tampering also keeps it secret, but hashing does not conceal the content.
✗AvailabilityWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Availability ensures that resources are accessible when needed, but comparing hashes verifies that the file has not been altered, which is a matter of integrity, not availability.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing a scenario where a company implements redundant servers and load balancing to ensure users can always download updates, even during high traffic or server failures, would demonstrate availability.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse availability with the ability to access and verify the file, thinking that the hash comparison confirms the file is 'available' in its original form, rather than recognizing it as an integrity check.
✗AuthenticationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Authentication verifies the identity of a user or system, not the integrity of data. Comparing hashes ensures the file hasn't been altered, which is integrity, not authentication.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A user logs in using a password and biometric scan. Which security concept is demonstrated? The answer would be authentication, as it verifies the user's identity.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse authentication with integrity because both involve verification processes, but authentication verifies identity, while integrity verifies data unchanged.
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 often confuse integrity with authentication, mistakenly thinking that verifying a hash proves the file's origin (authentication) rather than its unaltered state (integrity).
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Hash functions like SHA-256 produce a unique digest for each unique input; even a single bit change in the file yields a completely different hash. This property is used in digital signatures and code signing certificates (e.g., Authenticode) to ensure software integrity. In real-world scenarios, attackers may attempt a hash collision, but modern algorithms like SHA-256 are collision-resistant, making this verification reliable.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SC-900 questions
1,411 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals SC-900 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SC-900 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SC-900 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions.
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions.
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity.
SC-900 fundamentals practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 fundamentals.
SC-900 scenario practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 scenario.
SC-900 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise SC-900 questions linked to SC-900 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free SC-900 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Integrity — Hashing is a one-way cryptographic function that produces a fixed-size digest from input data. By comparing the computed hash of the downloaded file to the published hash, the user verifies that the file has not been altered during transit or storage. This directly demonstrates the security concept of integrity, which ensures data has not been tampered with or corrupted.
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 →
Keep practising
More SC-900 practice questions
- An organization uses Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager to track compliance with regulations. The compliance officer n…
- A company uses Microsoft Teams and wants to ensure that messages containing offensive language are flagged for review. W…
- A financial services firm uses Microsoft Purview Information Barriers to prevent traders from communicating with investm…
- A company uses a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) application for customer relationship management. According to…
- A company has a document management system. The security policy requires that a user in the Sales department can only vi…
- A company implements a security measure to ensure that only authorized employees can view sensitive customer records. Wh…
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.
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.