The answer is the Zero Trust security model. This is correct because the scenario describes its foundational principle: never trust, always verify. Unlike traditional perimeter-based security that assumes anything inside the corporate network is safe, Zero Trust treats every access request—whether from the office or the internet—as a potential threat, requiring full authentication, authorization, and encryption before granting access, along with continuous verification. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the core security principle shift from implicit trust to explicit verification, often appearing in questions that contrast Zero Trust with legacy models like the castle-and-moat approach. A common trap is confusing Zero Trust with just multi-factor authentication; remember that MFA is a tool within Zero Trust, not the model itself. A helpful memory tip: think of Zero Trust as the “guilty until proven innocent” approach to every access request.
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 company has implemented a security model where every access request is fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access, regardless of where the request originates (corporate network or internet). The model assumes that no entity is inherently trustworthy and requires continuous verification. This model is known as:
Why wrong: Defense in depth involves multiple layers of security controls, but the scenario specifically describes eliminating implicit trust and continuous verification, which is the core of Zero Trust.
B
Least privilege
Why wrong: Least privilege is about limiting permissions to the minimum required, not about verifying every access request regardless of network location.
C
Zero Trust
Zero Trust is the correct answer because it is built on the principle of 'never trust, always verify' and assumes no implicit trust based on network location.
D
Shared responsibility
Why wrong: Shared responsibility is a cloud security model that defines what the provider and customer are responsible for, not a principle for verifying access requests.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Zero Trust
The described model—requiring full authentication, authorization, and encryption for every access request, treating no entity as inherently trustworthy, and demanding continuous verification—is the core definition of Zero Trust. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-207 standard, which explicitly states that Zero Trust assumes no implicit trust and enforces verification for every request, regardless of network location.
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.
✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth involves multiple layers of security controls, but the scenario specifically describes eliminating implicit trust and continuous verification, which is the core of Zero Trust.
✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege is about limiting permissions to the minimum required, not about verifying every access request regardless of network location.
✓
Zero Trust
Why this is correct
Zero Trust is the correct answer because it is built on the principle of 'never trust, always verify' and assumes no implicit trust based on network location.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Shared responsibility
Why it's wrong here
Shared responsibility is a cloud security model that defines what the provider and customer are responsible for, not a principle for verifying access requests.
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, assuming that multiple security layers inherently imply no trust, but defense in depth does not require per-request authentication, authorization, and encryption from any location.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Defense in depth involves multiple layers of security controls, but the scenario specifically describes eliminating implicit trust and continuous verification, which is the core of Zero Trust.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Zero Trust enforces policies using micro-segmentation and per-request access tokens, often leveraging technologies like Azure AD Conditional Access, which evaluates signals (user, device, location, risk) in real time before issuing a token. A subtle behavior is that Zero Trust does not rely on a VPN for trust; instead, it uses technologies like Azure AD Application Proxy or Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to broker access, ensuring encryption (TLS 1.2+) and continuous validation via session policies that can revoke access mid-session if risk changes.
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: Zero Trust — The described model—requiring full authentication, authorization, and encryption for every access request, treating no entity as inherently trustworthy, and demanding continuous verification—is the core definition of Zero Trust. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-207 standard, which explicitly states that Zero Trust assumes no implicit trust and enforces verification for every request, regardless of network location.
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 →
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. According to the Zero Trust security model, which principle assumes that a breach has already occurred and therefore requires segmenting access and monitoring for lateral movement?
easy
A.Verify explicitly
B.Use least privilege
✓ C.Assume breach
D.Trust but verify
Why C: Option C is correct because the 'Assume breach' principle of the Zero Trust security model explicitly operates under the mindset that a breach has already occurred or is inevitable. This drives the need for segmenting access (e.g., micro-segmentation using network policies or Azure Virtual Network security groups) and continuous monitoring for lateral movement (e.g., using Microsoft Defender for Identity to detect pass-the-hash or Kerberos ticket attacks).
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Question Discussion
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