Quick Answer
The answer is anomaly detection policies. This is the correct feature because Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps uses User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to establish a baseline of normal user activity and then triggers alerts when deviations occur, such as impossible travel or unusual data downloads. On the SC-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how UEBA functions within the broader Microsoft 365 Defender suite, often appearing alongside questions about Cloud Discovery or app connectors as distractors. A common trap is confusing anomaly detection policies with Secure Score, which measures security posture, or Cloud Discovery, which identifies shadow IT. Remember the key distinction: anomaly detection policies are the engine for spotting behavioral anomalies, while other options serve different governance or visibility roles. A helpful memory tip is to think of “anomaly” as “abnormal activity” — if the question describes unusual user behavior, your answer is always the policy that detects it.
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft security solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Your organization wants to use Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to detect anomalous user behavior across cloud applications. Which feature should you enable?
Anomaly detection policies
Anomaly detection policies use UEBA to detect unusual user behavior.
App connectors
Why wrong: App connectors enable API integration but do not detect anomalies on their own.
Secure Score
Why wrong: Secure Score measures security posture, not user behavior.
Cloud Discovery
Why wrong: Cloud Discovery identifies shadow IT apps, not user behavior.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Anomaly detection policies
Option A is correct because Cloud App Security (now part of Defender for Cloud Apps) provides UEBA and anomaly detection. Options B, C, and D are incorrect: Secure Score is for security posture, Cloud Discovery is for discovering shadow IT, and app connectors are for API integration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Anomaly detection policies
Why this is correct
Anomaly detection policies use UEBA to detect unusual user behavior.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
App connectors
Why it's wrong here
App connectors enable API integration but do not detect anomalies on their own.
Secure Score
Why it's wrong here
Secure Score measures security posture, not user behavior.
Cloud Discovery
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Discovery identifies shadow IT apps, not user behavior.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Anomaly detection policies — Option A is correct because Cloud App Security (now part of Defender for Cloud Apps) provides UEBA and anomaly detection. Options B, C, and D are incorrect: Secure Score is for security posture, Cloud Discovery is for discovering shadow IT, and app connectors are for API integration.
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to detect anomalous user behavior such as impossible travel. Which type of policy should you configure?
easyWhy A: Anomaly detection policies in Defender for Cloud Apps use UEBA to detect behaviors like impossible travel, ransomware activity, and credential access. Option A is correct. Activity policies are used for specific activities, not behavior patterns. Session policies control real-time access. App discovery policies identify cloud apps in use.
Variation 2. Your organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. A security analyst needs to receive an alert whenever a user accesses a cloud app from a new IP address that is not in the organization's trusted IP range. What should the analyst configure?
mediumWhy D: Option A is correct because anomaly detection policies in Defender for Cloud Apps can detect activities from unfamiliar locations/IPs. Option B is wrong because app permissions policies govern third-party app permissions, not access from IPs. Option C is wrong because session policies control real-time session monitoring, not alerting on new IPs. Option D is wrong because file policies monitor file activities, not login locations.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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