SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
Which TWO Microsoft Purview solutions can help detect and prevent data exfiltration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Microsoft Purview Audit (logging) with a detection or prevention capability, or assume Compliance Manager or eDiscovery have a security monitoring role, when in fact they serve compliance and legal functions respectively.
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
✓
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management (A) is correct because it uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to identify risky user activities that may indicate data exfiltration, such as copying files to unauthorized cloud services or external devices. Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (C) is correct because it enforces policies that inspect content in transit and at rest, blocking or alerting on sensitive data being shared outside the organization via email, endpoints, or cloud apps.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management
Why this is correct
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management proactively detects and acts on malicious or inadvertent insider activities that could lead to data exfiltration. It leverages machine learning and behavioral analytics across Microsoft 365 services to identify unusual or risky user behaviors, such as downloading large amounts of sensitive data or sharing it externally, providing alerts and enabling remediation actions to prevent data loss.
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Microsoft Purview Audit
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard and Premium) primarily provides a comprehensive logging solution for user and administrator activities across Microsoft 365 services. While crucial for forensic investigations, compliance reviews, and understanding past events, its core function is historical record-keeping. It does not offer real-time detection or proactive prevention mechanisms against data exfiltration, focusing instead on accountability and post-incident analysis.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention
Why this is correct
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is engineered to identify, monitor, and automatically protect sensitive information across endpoints, cloud apps, and on-premises repositories. It enforces policies to prevent data exfiltration by blocking inappropriate sharing, encrypting files, or notifying administrators when sensitive data attempts to leave the organizational boundary, based on predefined rules and sensitive info types.
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Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager is a workflow-based solution designed to help organizations manage their compliance posture by providing a centralized view of regulatory requirements, recommended actions, and progress tracking. It assists in assessing, improving, and reporting on compliance with various standards and regulations, but it does not directly detect or prevent data exfiltration incidents; its focus is on organizational compliance management.
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Microsoft Purview eDiscovery
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Standard and Premium) is specifically designed to identify, preserve, collect, process, review, and analyze electronically stored information (ESI) for legal or investigative purposes. Its function is to support litigation, regulatory requests, or internal investigations by providing tools to manage the discovery process, not to proactively detect or prevent data loss or exfiltration from occurring in the first place.
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Related to this question
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Microsoft Entra ID
Key term
Data Loss Prevention
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a set of tools and processes that help organizations stop sensitive information from being shared, leaked, or stolen, whether accidentally or on purpose.
Key term
Insider Risk Management
Insider Risk Management is the practice of identifying, assessing, and mitigating threats that originate from within an organization, such as employees, contractors, or partners who have legitimate access to systems and data.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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