SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
Which THREE actions can Microsoft Sentinel perform as part of automated incident response using playbooks?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume Sentinel can directly modify Azure NSG rules or install software on devices, but Sentinel playbooks rely on external connectors and APIs, and actions like installing software are not supported by any standard connector.
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
✓
Block an IP address on a firewall
Microsoft Sentinel playbooks, built on Azure Logic Apps, can automate responses to security incidents. Blocking an IP address on a firewall is a common automated action because Logic Apps connectors exist for many firewall vendors (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortinet), allowing Sentinel to trigger a block action directly from a playbook. Resetting a user's password is possible using connectors like Azure AD, enabling automated password resets as part of incident response. Creating an incident in ServiceNow is supported via the ServiceNow connector, allowing integration with IT service management (ITSM) systems. These three actions leverage available Logic Apps connectors, while installing software or modifying NSG rules are not standard actions supported by Sentinel playbooks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Block an IP address on a firewall
Why this is correct
Playbooks can trigger firewall blocking via connectors.
- ✗
Install anti-malware software on a device
Why it's wrong here
Playbooks do not have direct capability to install software.
- ✓
Reset a user's password
Why this is correct
Playbooks can reset passwords using Entra ID connectors.
- ✓
Create an incident in ServiceNow
Why this is correct
Playbooks can create tickets in external systems.
- ✗
Modify a network security group rule
Why it's wrong here
Playbooks can trigger automation to modify NSG rules, but not directly.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
Key term
Incident response
Incident response is the structured approach an organization uses to identify, contain, and recover from cybersecurity incidents like data breaches or ransomware attacks.
Key term
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) service that helps organizations detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats across their entire digital estate.
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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.