- A
Confidentiality, achieved through encryption
Why wrong: Encryption protects data from unauthorized access but does not prove who sent the data; it addresses confidentiality.
- B
Integrity, achieved through hashing
Why wrong: Hashing ensures data has not been altered but does not link the signature uniquely to the sender, so it does not prevent denial of sending.
- C
Non-repudiation, achieved through digital signatures
Digital signatures provide authentication and integrity, and the sender cannot repudiate the signed data because only they possess their private key.
- D
Access control, achieved through permissions
Why wrong: Access control determines who can read or write data but does not provide a mechanism to prove that a specific action occurred.
Question 802 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. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 manager wants to ensure that an employee who sends an email cannot later deny having sent it. Which security concept and associated technology is best suited to achieve this?
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
✓
Non-repudiation, achieved through digital signatures
Non-repudiation ensures that a party cannot deny an action, such as sending an email. Digital signatures, which use asymmetric cryptography (e.g., RSA or ECDSA) and a hash of the message, provide cryptographic proof of the sender's identity and message integrity, making denial impossible.
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, achieved through encryption
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects data from unauthorized access but does not prove who sent the data; it addresses confidentiality.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking which security concept ensures that only authorized recipients can read an email, with the technology being encryption.
- ✗
Integrity, achieved through hashing
Why it's wrong here
Hashing ensures data has not been altered but does not link the signature uniquely to the sender, so it does not prevent denial of sending.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking which security concept ensures that data has not been tampered with during transmission, with the associated technology being hashing to verify integrity.
- ✓
Non-repudiation, achieved through digital signatures
Why this is correct
Digital signatures provide authentication and integrity, and the sender cannot repudiate the signed data because only they possess their private key.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Access control, achieved through permissions
Why it's wrong here
Access control determines who can read or write data but does not provide a mechanism to prove that a specific action occurred.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking: 'Which security concept ensures that only authorized users can view sensitive data?' would make access control correct, typically implemented through permissions or role-based access control.
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.
✓Non-repudiation, achieved through digital signaturesCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Digital signatures provide authentication and integrity, and the sender cannot repudiate the signed data because only they possess their private key.
✗Confidentiality, achieved through encryptionWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Confidentiality (encryption) protects data from unauthorized access, but does not provide proof of origin or prevent the sender from denying they sent the email.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking which security concept ensures that only authorized recipients can read an email, with the technology being encryption.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse encryption with digital signatures, or think that encrypting the email also authenticates the sender.
✗Integrity, achieved through hashingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Integrity ensures data has not been altered, but does not prevent a sender from denying they sent a message. Non-repudiation is required to prove the origin of the email.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking which security concept ensures that data has not been tampered with during transmission, with the associated technology being hashing to verify integrity.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse integrity with non-repudiation because both involve verifying data authenticity, but integrity focuses on data unchanged, not sender identity.
✗Access control, achieved through permissionsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Access control and permissions manage who can access resources, but they do not provide proof of origin or prevent denial of sending an email. Non-repudiation is required to prevent a sender from denying they sent a message.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking: 'Which security concept ensures that only authorized users can view sensitive data?' would make access control correct, typically implemented through permissions or role-based access control.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse access control with non-repudiation because both involve security policies, but access control focuses on authorization, not on irrefutable proof of action.
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 confuse integrity (hashing) with non-repudiation, not realizing that a hash alone lacks sender identity binding—only a digital signature provides the cryptographic proof of origin needed to prevent denial.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Digital signatures work by the sender hashing the message (e.g., with SHA-256) and encrypting that hash with their private key. The recipient decrypts the hash with the sender's public key and recomputes the hash; a match proves the sender's identity and message integrity. In email, S/MIME (RFC 5751) or PGP (RFC 4880) implement this, and the signature is bound to the sender's certificate, which is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
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.
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
What to study next
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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: Non-repudiation, achieved through digital signatures — Non-repudiation ensures that a party cannot deny an action, such as sending an email. Digital signatures, which use asymmetric cryptography (e.g., RSA or ECDSA) and a hash of the message, provide cryptographic proof of the sender's identity and message integrity, making denial impossible.
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
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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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