The answer is cross-domain threat hunting, incident management, and automated investigation. These three capabilities form the core of Microsoft Defender XDR’s extended detection and response functionality, enabling security teams to correlate alerts across endpoints, email, identities, and cloud apps, then automatically contain threats without manual intervention. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish Defender XDR’s unified security operations from adjacent services: a common trap is confusing data lifecycle management (a Microsoft Purview capability) or device compliance policies (a Microsoft Intune capability) with XDR’s real-time detection and response. Remember that Defender XDR is about hunting and responding across domains, while Purview governs data and Intune manages devices. A useful memory tip is to think of the acronym “HIA” for Hunt, Investigate, Automate—the three pillars that define Defender XDR’s cross-domain capabilities.
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.
Which THREE are capabilities of Microsoft Defender XDR?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Automated investigation and remediation
Options A, C, and D are correct. Microsoft Defender XDR includes incident management, automated investigation, and cross-domain hunting. Option B is a capability of Microsoft Purview, not Defender XDR. Option E is a capability of Microsoft Intune.
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.
✗
Device compliance policy management
Why it's wrong here
Device compliance is managed by Microsoft Intune.
✓
Automated investigation and remediation
Why this is correct
Defender XDR can automatically investigate and remediate threats.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Incident management across email, endpoints, and identities
Why this is correct
Defender XDR correlates alerts across these domains into incidents.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Cross-domain threat hunting
Why this is correct
Defender XDR allows hunting across email, endpoints, and identities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Data classification and labeling
Why it's wrong here
Data classification is part of Microsoft Purview Information Protection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-900 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Automated investigation and remediation — Options A, C, and D are correct. Microsoft Defender XDR includes incident management, automated investigation, and cross-domain hunting. Option B is a capability of Microsoft Purview, not Defender XDR. Option E is a capability of Microsoft Intune.
What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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