- A
Defense in depth
Why wrong: Defense in depth is a layered security strategy using multiple controls to protect assets; it does not strictly limit permissions per user role.
- B
Least privilege
This is the correct answer because the administrator is granting the minimal permissions required for each employee's role, directly applying the least privilege principle.
- C
Separation of duties
Why wrong: Separation of duties involves dividing critical tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud, not assigning minimal permissions per role.
- D
Zero trust
Why wrong: Zero trust is a security model that assumes no implicit trust and continuously verifies every access request, but it does not specifically focus on granting minimal permissions.
Question 505 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 administrator is configuring permissions for a new cloud-based expense reporting application. The administrator assigns each employee only the permissions they need to perform their job functions. For example, employees in the Sales department can view expense reports but cannot approve or modify financial data. Which security principle is the administrator implementing?
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
✓
Least privilege
The administrator is granting each employee only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions, such as Sales being able to view but not approve or modify financial data. This directly implements the principle of least privilege, which restricts access rights to the minimum required for legitimate tasks. In cloud-based applications like expense reporting systems, least privilege reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from compromised accounts.
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.
- ✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth is a layered security strategy using multiple controls to protect assets; it does not strictly limit permissions per user role.
When this WOULD be correct
Defense in depth would be correct if the question described implementing multiple security layers (e.g., firewall, antivirus, encryption, and access controls) to protect the expense reporting application from various threats.
- ✓
Least privilege
Why this is correct
This is the correct answer because the administrator is granting the minimal permissions required for each employee's role, directly applying the least privilege principle.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Separation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties involves dividing critical tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud, not assigning minimal permissions per role.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the administrator requires two different employees to approve and process expense reports to prevent a single person from both creating and approving payments would make separation of duties correct.
- ✗
Zero trust
Why it's wrong here
Zero trust is a security model that assumes no implicit trust and continuously verifies every access request, but it does not specifically focus on granting minimal permissions.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing a network architecture where every access request, even from inside the corporate network, must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted, with micro-segmentation and continuous monitoring, would make zero trust the correct answer.
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.
✓Least privilegeCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
This is the correct answer because the administrator is granting the minimal permissions required for each employee's role, directly applying the least privilege principle.
✗Defense in depthWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Defense in depth is a layered security strategy using multiple controls, not about limiting permissions to only what is needed. The question describes assigning minimal permissions per job role, which is least privilege.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Defense in depth would be correct if the question described implementing multiple security layers (e.g., firewall, antivirus, encryption, and access controls) to protect the expense reporting application from various threats.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse defense in depth with least privilege because both involve multiple security measures, but defense in depth focuses on layers, not on minimizing permissions.
✗Separation of dutiesWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The scenario describes assigning permissions based on job needs, which is least privilege. Separation of duties involves splitting critical tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud, not limiting permissions to the minimum necessary.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the administrator requires two different employees to approve and process expense reports to prevent a single person from both creating and approving payments would make separation of duties correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'separation of duties' with 'least privilege' because both involve restricting access, but separation of duties focuses on dividing tasks to prevent conflicts of interest, not on minimizing permissions per role.
✗Zero trustWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Zero trust is a security model that assumes no implicit trust and requires continuous verification for every access request, but the question describes assigning minimal permissions based on job roles, which is the principle of least privilege, not zero trust.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing a network architecture where every access request, even from inside the corporate network, must be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted, with micro-segmentation and continuous monitoring, would make zero trust the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse zero trust with least privilege because both involve restricting access, but zero trust is broader and includes continuous verification, while least privilege focuses on minimal permissions.
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 least privilege with separation of duties, because both involve restricting access, but separation of duties specifically requires splitting conflicting tasks (e.g., submit vs. approve) across different users to prevent fraud, whereas least privilege focuses on minimizing permissions per user.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Least privilege is often enforced using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), where permissions are assigned to roles (e.g., Sales Viewer) rather than individuals. In cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, RBAC uses built-in or custom roles with specific action permissions (e.g., Microsoft.ExpenseReport/read vs. write). A real-world scenario where least privilege matters is in compliance frameworks like SOC 2 or PCI DSS, where auditors require that users have no more access than necessary to perform their duties, and excessive permissions can lead to non-compliance findings.
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 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: Least privilege — The administrator is granting each employee only the permissions necessary to perform their job functions, such as Sales being able to view but not approve or modify financial data. This directly implements the principle of least privilege, which restricts access rights to the minimum required for legitimate tasks. In cloud-based applications like expense reporting systems, least privilege reduces the attack surface and limits potential damage from compromised accounts.
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 →
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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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