SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
Your organization uses Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to protect sensitive data. You need to prevent users from sharing credit card numbers in emails to external recipients. Which DLP rule action should you configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 'Block the message' with 'Allow with policy tip' because they think a warning is sufficient, but the question explicitly requires preventing the sharing, which only a block action achieves.
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 the message from being sent
Microsoft Purview DLP allows you to configure rule actions that enforce protective measures. When you need to prevent users from sharing credit card numbers in emails to external recipients, the 'Block the message from being sent' action stops the email from being delivered, ensuring the sensitive data is not leaked. This action can be combined with a notification or override option, but the core enforcement is blocking the message.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Audit the activity only
Why it's wrong here
Selecting "Audit the activity only" within a Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy would log the detected sensitive information sharing event to the activity explorer. While this provides valuable insights for compliance reporting and incident investigation, it does not actively prevent the sensitive data from being sent. Therefore, this action fails to achieve the primary goal of data loss prevention by allowing the message to proceed without interruption.
- ✗
Allow the message but notify the user
Why it's wrong here
Configuring a DLP policy to "Allow the message but notify the user" means the email containing sensitive information will still be delivered to its recipient. Although the sender receives a notification about the policy violation, this action does not enforce any protective measures to stop the data from leaving the organization's control. Consequently, the sensitive data is successfully shared, rendering this option ineffective for preventing data loss.
- ✓
Block the message from being sent
Why this is correct
Choosing "Block the message from being sent" is the most direct and effective action within a Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy to prevent sensitive data from leaving the organization. When this action is triggered, the email containing the identified sensitive information is immediately quarantined or rejected, ensuring it never reaches its intended external recipient. This directly fulfills the objective of data loss prevention by physically stopping the unauthorized transmission of critical data.
- ✗
Allow the message with a policy tip
Why it's wrong here
Implementing "Allow the message with a policy tip" in a DLP policy provides real-time educational guidance to the user, informing them that their action violates a data loss prevention policy. While policy tips are excellent for fostering user awareness and encouraging self-correction, they do not inherently block the message or prevent the sensitive data from being transmitted. The user retains the ability to override the tip and send the message, thus failing to prevent data loss.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
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.
Key term
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance service that helps organizations discover, manage, and protect their data across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
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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.