- A
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Defender for Identity is specifically designed to protect on-premises Active Directory from advanced identity attacks and provides automated investigation and response.
- B
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Why wrong: Defender for Cloud Apps focuses on monitoring and controlling cloud application usage, not on-premises Active Directory attacks.
- C
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Why wrong: Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) for devices, not specialized protection for on-premises AD identity attacks.
- D
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why wrong: Defender for Office 365 protects against threats in email and Office applications, not against on-premises Active Directory attacks.
Question 823 of 1,411
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft security solutions. 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 security operations team uses Microsoft 365 Defender and wants to detect, investigate, and automatically respond to advanced identity-based attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory, such as Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. They also need to integrate these alerts into Microsoft Sentinel for central incident management. Which Microsoft security solution provides these capabilities?
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
✓
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) is the correct answer because it is specifically designed to detect, investigate, and automatically respond to advanced identity-based attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory, including Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. It uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to identify suspicious activities such as anomalous Kerberos ticket requests and NTLM authentication anomalies. MDI also natively integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, allowing alerts to be ingested for central incident management.
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.
- ✓
Microsoft Defender for Identity
Why this is correct
Defender for Identity is specifically designed to protect on-premises Active Directory from advanced identity attacks and provides automated investigation and response.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Cloud Apps focuses on monitoring and controlling cloud application usage, not on-premises Active Directory attacks.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking which Microsoft solution detects and controls risky user behavior in cloud apps, such as anomalous sign-ins or data exfiltration from SaaS applications, and integrates with Microsoft Sentinel for incident management.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) for devices, not specialized protection for on-premises AD identity attacks.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Office 365 protects against threats in email and Office applications, not against on-premises Active Directory attacks.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A company wants to protect against advanced phishing attacks targeting executives via email, and automatically remediate malicious messages. Which Microsoft security solution should they use?'
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.
✓Microsoft Defender for IdentityCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Defender for Identity is specifically designed to protect on-premises Active Directory from advanced identity attacks and provides automated investigation and response.
✗Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps focuses on cloud application security, not on-premises Active Directory attacks like Pass-the-Hash or Golden Ticket. It does not provide native detection for these identity-based attacks targeting on-prem AD.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking which Microsoft solution detects and controls risky user behavior in cloud apps, such as anomalous sign-ins or data exfiltration from SaaS applications, and integrates with Microsoft Sentinel for incident management.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Defender for Cloud Apps with identity protection because it handles user behavior and app usage, but it lacks the on-prem AD attack detection required here.
✗Microsoft Defender for Office 365Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 focuses on email and collaboration threats (phishing, malware in attachments/links), not on-premises Active Directory attacks like Pass-the-Hash or Golden Ticket. It does not provide identity-based attack detection for AD or integrate with Microsoft Sentinel for those alerts.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A company wants to protect against advanced phishing attacks targeting executives via email, and automatically remediate malicious messages. Which Microsoft security solution should they use?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the 'Defender' branding and assume all Defender products cover similar threats, or they might think Office 365 includes identity protection because it integrates with Azure AD.
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 Microsoft Defender for Identity with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, assuming both handle identity threats, but only MDI specifically targets on-premises Active Directory attacks like PtH and Golden Ticket.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MDI monitors network traffic to domain controllers using port mirroring or an agent, analyzing Kerberos and NTLM authentication protocols to detect techniques like PtH (where an attacker uses captured NTLM hashes) and Golden Ticket attacks (where forged Kerberos Ticket-Granting Tickets are created using the KRBTGT account hash). It can trigger automatic response actions, such as disabling a compromised user account or blocking a suspicious IP, and forwards alerts to Microsoft Sentinel via the Microsoft 365 Defender connector for unified incident management.
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 capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Microsoft Defender for Identity — Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) is the correct answer because it is specifically designed to detect, investigate, and automatically respond to advanced identity-based attacks targeting on-premises Active Directory, including Pass-the-Hash (PtH) and Golden Ticket attacks. It uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to identify suspicious activities such as anomalous Kerberos ticket requests and NTLM authentication anomalies. MDI also natively integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, allowing alerts to be ingested for central incident management.
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.
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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 →
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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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