SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
Your company is implementing a zero-trust security model. Which principle requires verifying every access request as though it originates from an untrusted network, even if the request comes from within the corporate network?
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
✓
Explicit verification
'Explicit verification' is the zero-trust principle that requires verifying every access request as though it originates from an untrusted network, regardless of the source. Option A is incorrect because 'Least privilege' limits access rights but does not inherently treat all requests as untrusted. Option B is incorrect because 'Trust but verify' is a traditional security model that trusts internal networks, contradicting zero-trust. Option D is incorrect because 'Assume breach' focuses on minimizing the impact of a breach, not on verifying every access request.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege limits access rights but does not inherently require verifying every request as untrusted.
- ✗
Trust but verify
Why it's wrong here
Trust but verify is a traditional concept that assumes trust within the network, which is contrary to zero-trust.
- ✓
Explicit verification
Why this is correct
Explicit verification is the zero-trust principle that requires verifying every access request as if originating from an untrusted network.
- ✗
Assume breach
Why it's wrong here
Assume breach assumes a breach has occurred and focuses on containment, not on verification of every access request.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
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 →
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.