How to Prevent Accidental Sharing of Sensitive Data in Teams Using DLP
Your organization needs to automatically detect and prevent accidental sharing of sensitive data in Microsoft Teams messages. Which Microsoft Purview solution should you use?
Quick Answer
The answer is Data Loss Prevention (DLP) in Microsoft Purview. DLP policies are specifically designed to automatically detect and prevent accidental sharing of sensitive data in Teams messages by scanning content in real time against predefined or custom sensitive information types, such as credit card numbers or health records, and blocking or warning users before the message is sent. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between Purview solutions that offer proactive prevention versus those that handle classification or discovery after the fact. A common trap is confusing DLP with sensitivity labels, which only apply persistent protection and do not block sharing in the moment, or with retention policies, which manage data lifecycle but not transmission. Remember the memory tip: DLP stands for “Don’t Leak Privately”—it’s the only tool that stops sensitive data from leaving your organization in real time.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse sensitivity labels with DLP because both deal with data protection, but sensitivity labels are for classification and encryption, not real-time detection and prevention of accidental sharing in messages.
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
✓
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to automatically detect and prevent accidental sharing of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or personally identifiable information (PII), in Microsoft Teams messages. DLP policies can scan messages in real time, apply actions like blocking the message or sending a policy tip to the user, and integrate with Microsoft Teams' chat and channel infrastructure. This directly addresses the requirement for automatic detection and prevention of accidental data sharing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Retention policies
Why it's wrong here
Retention policies manage data lifecycle, not real-time data loss prevention.
- ✓
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Why this is correct
DLP policies can detect sensitive data in transit and block sharing in Teams messages.
- ✗
eDiscovery
Why it's wrong here
eDiscovery is for content search and export, not prevention.
- ✗
Sensitivity labels
Why it's wrong here
Sensitivity labels classify and protect content but do not automatically prevent sharing in real-time.
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Related to this question
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Microsoft Entra ID
Key term
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that integrates chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration into a single workspace, primarily used within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
About these practice questions
This SC-900 question is part of Courseiva's 1,250-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way 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. A company wants to prevent employees from accidentally sharing a document containing personally identifiable information (PII) with external users. The document is stored in OneDrive for Business. Which Microsoft Purview solution should they use?
easy- A.Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance
- B.Microsoft Purview Information Protection
- C.Microsoft Purview Audit
- ✓ D.Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Why D: Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is the correct solution because it is specifically designed to detect and prevent the accidental sharing of sensitive data, such as PII, with external users. DLP policies can be configured to scan documents in OneDrive for Business for PII patterns (e.g., Social Security numbers, credit card numbers) and automatically block sharing with external users or trigger a policy tip to warn the employee. This directly addresses the requirement to prevent accidental external sharing of PII.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.