- A
Identity Protection
Identity Protection detects and handles risky sign-ins and user behavior, providing automated risk-based remediation.
- B
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Why wrong: PIM manages just-in-time access to privileged roles; it does not detect general sign-in risks.
- C
Conditional Access
Why wrong: Conditional Access enforces policies based on conditions but does not detect risks itself; it can use risk signals from Identity Protection.
- D
Identity Governance
Why wrong: Identity Governance focuses on access reviews, certifications, and lifecycle, not on risk detection.
Question 552 of 1,411
Microsoft Entra ID Protection: Automatically Detect and Remediate Risky Sign-Ins
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. 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 administrator at an organization using Microsoft Entra ID needs to automatically detect user sign-ins that exhibit risky behavior, such as signing in from a suspicious IP address or using leaked credentials. The administrator also wants the system to automatically calculate a risk level for each user and take actions like requiring a password reset when risk is high. Which Microsoft Entra ID feature should the administrator use?
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
✓
Identity Protection
Microsoft Entra ID Protection is the correct feature because it automatically detects risky sign-in behaviors—such as sign-ins from suspicious IP addresses, anonymous IP addresses, or leaked credentials—and calculates a user risk level. It can then automatically trigger remediation actions like requiring a password reset when the risk level is high, directly matching the administrator's requirements.
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.
- ✓
Identity Protection
Why this is correct
Identity Protection detects and handles risky sign-ins and user behavior, providing automated risk-based remediation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Why it's wrong here
PIM manages just-in-time access to privileged roles; it does not detect general sign-in risks.
When this WOULD be correct
PIM would be correct if the question asked for a feature that provides just-in-time privileged access, role activation with approval workflows, or auditing of privileged role assignments to reduce standing access.
- ✗
Conditional Access
Why it's wrong here
Conditional Access enforces policies based on conditions but does not detect risks itself; it can use risk signals from Identity Protection.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking: 'An administrator needs to block sign-ins from untrusted locations unless multi-factor authentication is completed. Which feature should be used?' — Conditional Access would be correct for enforcing such access controls.
- ✗
Identity Governance
Why it's wrong here
Identity Governance focuses on access reviews, certifications, and lifecycle, not on risk detection.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization needs to automate the review and certification of user access to resources, ensuring that only authorized users have access and that access is periodically recertified. In that scenario, Identity Governance would be the correct feature.
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.
✓Identity ProtectionCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Identity Protection detects and handles risky sign-ins and user behavior, providing automated risk-based remediation.
✗Privileged Identity Management (PIM)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) manages, controls, and monitors access to privileged roles in Microsoft Entra ID, but it does not detect risky sign-ins or calculate user risk levels based on behaviors like suspicious IP addresses or leaked credentials.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
PIM would be correct if the question asked for a feature that provides just-in-time privileged access, role activation with approval workflows, or auditing of privileged role assignments to reduce standing access.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse PIM with Identity Protection because both involve security and risk, but PIM focuses on privileged access management rather than user sign-in risk detection.
✗Conditional AccessWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Conditional Access enforces policies based on signals like location or device state, but it does not automatically detect risky sign-ins or calculate user risk levels; it relies on Identity Protection for risk detection.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking: 'An administrator needs to block sign-ins from untrusted locations unless multi-factor authentication is completed. Which feature should be used?' — Conditional Access would be correct for enforcing such access controls.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Conditional Access's ability to respond to risk signals with the automatic detection and risk calculation that Identity Protection provides, assuming CA includes risk assessment.
✗Identity GovernanceWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Identity Governance focuses on managing user access rights and certifications, not on detecting risky sign-in behaviors or calculating risk levels. It does not automatically detect suspicious IP addresses or leaked credentials.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization needs to automate the review and certification of user access to resources, ensuring that only authorized users have access and that access is periodically recertified. In that scenario, Identity Governance would be the correct feature.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'governance' with 'protection' or think that managing user identities includes risk detection, but Identity Governance is about access lifecycle management, not real-time risk analysis.
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 Conditional Access with Identity Protection, but Conditional Access is the enforcement layer that uses risk signals from Identity Protection—it does not perform the detection or risk calculation itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Identity Protection uses machine learning models and heuristics to detect over 30 risk detections, including sign-ins from anonymous IP addresses (e.g., Tor), atypical travel, and leaked credentials verified against Microsoft's threat intelligence. It aggregates these detections into a user risk level (low, medium, high) and can be integrated with Conditional Access policies to enforce actions like requiring MFA or blocking sign-ins, while also supporting self-remediation via password reset when risk is high.
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: Identity Protection — Microsoft Entra ID Protection is the correct feature because it automatically detects risky sign-in behaviors—such as sign-ins from suspicious IP addresses, anonymous IP addresses, or leaked credentials—and calculates a user risk level. It can then automatically trigger remediation actions like requiring a password reset when the risk level is high, directly matching the administrator's requirements.
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
3 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. Which TWO scenarios are addressed by Microsoft Entra ID Protection? (Choose two.)
easy- ✓ A.Detecting leaked credentials on the dark web
- B.Reviewing group membership assignments
- C.Enforcing device compliance policies
- D.Resetting forgotten passwords
- ✓ E.Blocking sign-ins from anonymous IP addresses
Why A: Microsoft Entra ID Protection uses machine learning and heuristic algorithms to detect leaked credentials by monitoring known credential dumps on the dark web. When a user's credentials appear in a breach, ID Protection can automatically force a password reset or block sign-ins. Additionally, ID Protection can block sign-ins from anonymous IP addresses (e.g., Tor or anonymous VPNs) as part of its risk-based conditional access policies. These two capabilities—detecting leaked credentials and blocking sign-ins from anonymous IP addresses—are core risk detection and remediation features of Identity Protection.
Variation 2. A security administrator uses Microsoft Entra ID Protection to identify and respond to identity-based risks. Which two types of risk detections can be reviewed in Microsoft Entra ID Protection? (Choose two.)
hard- ✓ A.Sign-in risk
- ✓ B.User risk
- C.Application permission risk
- D.Device compliance risk
Why A: Microsoft Entra ID Protection evaluates identity-based risks by analyzing two primary detection types: sign-in risk and user risk. Sign-in risk assesses the probability that a specific authentication attempt is unauthorized, while user risk evaluates the likelihood that a user account has been compromised based on aggregated suspicious activities.
Variation 3. An organization wants to protect against password spray attacks by automatically blocking sign-ins from suspicious IP addresses. Which Microsoft Entra feature should they use?
easy- A.Microsoft Entra Self-Service Password Reset
- ✓ B.Microsoft Entra Identity Protection
- C.Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management
- D.Microsoft Entra Multifactor Authentication
Why B: Microsoft Entra Identity Protection uses machine learning to detect and automatically block sign-ins from suspicious IP addresses, such as those associated with anonymous proxies or known malicious activity. It directly mitigates password spray attacks by applying risk-based conditional access policies that require additional verification or block the sign-in attempt.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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