SC-401 Administering Information Security in Microsoft 365 Questions and Answers

The requirements are:

Detect credit card information → requires a sensitive info type (built-in: Credit Card Number).

Detect keywords “Project1” or “Project2” → can be handled in the same sensitive info type by using keyword matching.

Watermarks (“Confidential”, “Internal Use Only”) are label actions, not sensitive info types.

Therefore, only 2 sensitive info types are required: one for keywords, one for credit card data.

Goal: maximize signin security for users who will test the AIP client (User1), install/configure the Microsoft Rights Management connector (User2), and act as the AIP scanner service account (User3).

Excluding users from MFA lowers security and is not recommended.

Passwordless with FIDO2 security keys (passkeys) provides strong phishingresistant authentication and is fully supported for Azure AD signins, including admin tasks and service scenarios that require interactive signin during setup.

Therefore, enabling all three for FIDO2 passkey authentication best meets the “maximize security” requirement.

Step 1 – Scenario

Microsoft 365 E5 subscription with 100 users and a Microsoft 365 group (Group1).

A sensitivity label (Label1) is published as the default label for Group1.

Label1 contains two sublabels: Sublabel1 and Sublabel2.

Requirement: Ensure Sublabel1 settings are applied by default to Group1.

Step 2 – Understanding label hierarchy

In Microsoft Purview Information Protection, a parent label (Label1) is a container.

Sublabels (Sublabel1, Sublabel2) inherit the parent name but represent distinct configurations (encryption, watermarking, access, etc.).

A parent label itself cannot have a sublabel’s settings automatically applied unless policy configuration specifies which sublabel is used as the default publishing option.

Step 3 – Why "Modify the policy of Label1" is correct

To apply Sublabel1 by default, the published policy for Label1 must be modified so that Sublabel1 is the default label within the policy.

Simply reordering sublabels (Option A) does not change the default assignment.

Duplicating Sublabel1’s settings into Label1 (Option B) defeats the purpose of having sublabels and adds redundancy.

Deleting the policy of Label1 and publishing Sublabel1 (Option D) would remove flexibility and is unnecessary.

Step 4 – Microsoft Reference

Microsoft Docs: “If you want a sublabel to be applied by default, configure the label policy to select that sublabel as the default label for documents and emails.”

To track interactions between users and generative AI websites in Microsoft Purview Audit, you need to deploy the Microsoft Purview browser extension to the devices. This extension enables tracking of user activities on web-based applications, including AI-related tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other generative AI platforms.

Microsoft Purview extension provides visibility into browser-based activities, including AI tool usage, ensuring compliance and risk management within Microsoft Purview. This extension works with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome to track and log user interactions.

The Set-MailboxFolderPermission -Identity "User1" -User User1@contoso.com -AccessRights Owner command is incorrect. This assigns folder permissions but does not enable auditing. It does not track who accessed the mailbox or deleted emails.

User1: Since the Microsoft Purview browser extension is installed on Device1, AI-related activity performed by User1 (generating an image using a generative AI website) can be reviewed in Activity explorer in DSPM for AI.

User2: Since Device2 does not have the Microsoft Purview browser extension installed, AI-related activity cannot be tracked in DSPM for AI. Instead, Audit log search should be used to review activity such as using Microsoft 365 Copilot.

User3: Since Device3 has the Microsoft Purview browser extension installed, AI-related activity (browsing sample content on a generative AI website) can be reviewed using Activity explorer in DSPM for AI.

Step 1 – Where to configure Insider Risk Management notices

Insider risk management notices are part of the Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management solution.

They are created and managed within the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

The Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft Defender portal, or Microsoft Entra admin center are not used for notice templates.

Therefore, the correct choice for the portal is: Microsoft Purview portal.

Step 2 – Supported formats for notice templates

When creating an Insider Risk Management notice template, Microsoft Purview allows customization of the message body in HTML format.

HTML provides rich text formatting (fonts, colors, links, branding).

Markdown, RTF, and XML are not supported options for Purview notice templates.

Therefore, the correct format is: HTML.

Step 3 – Microsoft Reference

Microsoft documentation states:

“Notice templates are created and managed in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. The body of the notice message is authored in HTML format to allow for full customization.”

To detect and protect confidential documents, we need a custom rule to identify project codes that start with 999 (since they are classified as confidential).

Box 1: A Sensitive Info Type (SIT) allows Microsoft Purview DLP policies to recognize structured data (e.g., project codes). DLP policies require a sensitive info type to detect content based on patterns, keywords, or dictionary terms. A sensitivity label alone does not define detection logic—it is used for classification and protection after content is identified.

Box 2: Since project codes follow a structured 10-digit pattern, we should use a Regular Expression (Regex) to match project codes that start with 999.

Example Regex pattern:

999\d{7}

This pattern detects a 10-digit number starting with "999".

Understanding Site4's Retention Policies:

● Site4RetentionPolicy1 deletes items older than 2 years from creation. If a file was created on January 1, 2021, it would be deleted after January 1, 2023.

● Site4RetentionPolicy2 retains files for 4 years from creation. If a file was created on January 1, 2021, it will be kept until January 1, 2025, but not deleted after that (policy states "Do nothing").

Statement 1 - Yes, because Site4RetentionPolicy2 ensures files are retained for 4 years.

Statement 2 - Yes, because Site4RetentionPolicy2 retains the file for 4 years (until January 1, 2025).

Statement 3 - No, because retention is only for 4 years (until January 1, 2025). After that, the policy does "nothing," meaning the file is no longer recoverable after that period.

To meet the requirement that all administrative users must be able to create Microsoft 365 sensitivity labels, we need to assign the Sensitivity Label Administrator role to the correct users.

Sensitivity Label Administrator Role Responsibilities

This role allows users to:

● Create and manage sensitivity labels in Microsoft Purview.

● Publish and configure auto-labeling policies.

● Modify label encryption and content marking settings.

Review of Admin Roles from the Table:

Users that must be assigned the Sensitivity Label Administrator role:

● Admin2 (Compliance Data Administrator)

● Admin3 (Compliance Administrator)

● Admin1 (Global Reader) (should be assigned this role to fulfill the requirement that all admins can create labels).

Understanding DLP Policy Impact on File Access

The DLP policy (DLPpolicy1) applies to Site2 and restricts access when:

● Content contains SWIFT Codes.

● Instance count is 2 or more.

File Analysis (Based on SWIFT Codes Count)

Files that remain accessible (not restricted by DLP):

● File1.docx (Contains only 1 SWIFT Code → Below restriction threshold)

User access after DLP policy is applied:

User1 (Site Owner):

● Has higher privileges and can override DLP restrictions (through admin intervention).

● Can access 2 files (File1.docx + override access to another file).

User2 (Site Visitor):

● Has read-only access but DLP blocks access to restricted files.

● Can only access 1 file (File1.docx), since all others are restricted.

The goal is to automatically label documents in Site1 that contain credit card numbers. To achieve this, we need a sensitivity label with an auto-labeling policy based on a sensitive info type that detects credit card numbers.

Step 1: Create a Sensitive Info Type

● A sensitive info type is needed to detect credit card numbers in documents.

● Microsoft Purview includes built-in sensitive info types for credit card numbers, but we can also create a custom one if necessary.

Step 2: Create a Sensitivity Label

● A sensitivity label is required to classify and protect documents containing sensitive information.

● This label can apply encryption, watermarking, or access controls to credit card data.

Step 3: Create an Auto-Labeling Policy

● An auto-labeling policy ensures that the sensitivity label is applied automatically when credit card numbers are detected in Site1.

● This policy is configured to scan files and automatically apply the correct sensitivity label.

The requirement states that all Microsoft 365 data for users must be retained for at least one year. In Microsoft 365, retention policies must be configured for each type of data storage.

Step 1: Identifying Where Data is Stored

From the case study, users store data in the following locations:

● SharePoint Online sites

● OneDrive accounts

● Exchange email

● Exchange public folders

● Teams chats

● Teams channel messages

Since these locations fall under two broad categories:

● Microsoft Exchange data (Emails, Public folders)

● SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams data

Step 2: Required Retention Policies

1️. A single retention policy can cover:

● SharePoint Online

● OneDrive

● Microsoft Teams

2. A second retention policy is required for:

● Exchange (Emails & Public Folders)

Thus, the minimum number of retention policies required to meet the requirement is 2.

Microsoft 365 retention policies can be applied broadly across multiple services with just two policies:

● One for Exchange & Public Folders

● One for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams

There's no need for separate policies for each individual workload unless different retention durations are required, which is not stated in the requirement.

To auto-apply a retention label to documents based on a specific file naming pattern (like abc_XX123.docx), you need to use a detection method that can recognize patterns.

Retention label: This is the outcome (what you apply), not the detection mechanism. It cannot itself identify files.

Trainable classifier: Used for identifying content based on text meaning/semantics (e.g., HR documents, contracts). It is not suitable for structured patterns like file names.

Sensitive info type (SIT): Best option. Custom SITs can be created with regular expressions to match naming formats (such as xxx_XX999). Once the SIT is defined, you can configure an auto-apply retention label policy to apply the “Project Documents” label when the SIT is detected.

User1 can delete File1 on March 10, 2023.

No - File1 has Retention1 applied, which retains it for 4 years with a "Retain only" action. This means it cannot be deleted during the retention period, which ends on March 1, 2027.

User2 can delete File1 on March 10, 2027.

No - User2 is a Member and does not have the Owner role, which is required to delete files under retention policies during the retention period. Additionally, the "Retain only" action prevents deletion until the retention period ends on March 1, 2027.

User2 can edit File2 on March 15, 2025.

No - File2 has Retention2 applied, which retains it for 2 years with a "Retain and delete" action. This means the file is protected from edits or deletions during the retention period, which ends on March 1, 2025. Since March 15, 2025, is after the retention period, the file would be eligible for deletion, but the question specifies editing, which is restricted during the retention period.

In Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management, different Microsoft 365 locations require separate retention policies because they fall under different storage and compliance models.

Teams Chats & Teams Channel Messages (1 Policy) require a separate retention policy because Teams messages are stored differently than Exchange and SharePoint content. One policy can cover both Teams chats and Teams channel messages. Exchange Email (1 Policy) requires its own separate policy since emails are managed differently than Teams or SharePoint content. SharePoint Sites & Microsoft 365 Groups (1 Policy) are both stored in SharePoint Online, so they can be managed under one policy.

An activity policy in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (Microsoft Defender portal) allows you to track and alert on specific user actions, such as sharing sensitive documents externally from OneDrive. This policy can detect file-sharing activities and send alerts when files are shared with external users, which meets the requirement.

Create: → A sensitive info type

Element: → Keyword dictionary

You want to classify documents in SharePoint Online based on a list of customer names stored in Customer.csv (1,000 entries).

In Microsoft Purview, there are several options for custom classification:

Sensitive info type (SIT):

Designed to detect predefined or custom patterns such as credit cards, IDs, or custom lists.

You can build a custom SIT using elements like keyword dictionary, regular expressions, and functions.

In this case, since you have a large CSV with 1,000 customer names, you upload that list as a keyword dictionary element.

Trainable classifier:

Used when you want AI to classify documents by training on examples of positive/negative samples (like contracts, resumes).

Not relevant here because you already have a structured list of customer names rather than needing machine learning classification.

Adaptive scope:

Determines where (users, groups, sites) policies apply, not what content is classified.

Not relevant here.

Correct pairing:

Create: A sensitive info type (SIT).

Element: Keyword dictionary (upload the Customer.csv file).

This question is about creating a one-click policy within Microsoft Purview's Data Security Posture Management for AI portal. These policies are designed to mitigate risks associated with sensitive data and AI websites. The correct configuration for this specific scenario is to select "Test it out first" and apply the policy to "Devices, Instances, and SharePoint sites." This configuration is based on Microsoft's recommended practices for deploying data loss prevention (DLP) and similar policies.

Policy Mode: "Test it out first"

Microsoft recommends using test mode for new policies to evaluate their impact and effectiveness before enforcing them. This approach prevents unintended disruptions to user workflows. In test mode, the policy monitors and audits the specified activities without blocking them. It generates alerts and reports, allowing administrators to review the policy's behavior and make necessary adjustments. This aligns with the principle of "start small, then scale," ensuring that a policy designed to block sensitive data transfers doesn't inadvertently prevent legitimate business activities.

Policy Scope: "Devices, Instances, and SharePoint sites"

The policy aims to block users from pasting or uploading sensitive data to AI websites. This requires a comprehensive scope to cover all potential data exfiltration points.

Devices: This covers the user's local device, preventing data from being uploaded or pasted from applications running on the machine. This is crucial for controlling data from endpoints.

Instances: This refers to SaaS (Software as a Service) instances, including AI websites. Applying the policy to instances ensures that data transfers to these external services are monitored and controlled.

SharePoint sites: Data residing in SharePoint is a common source of sensitive information. Including SharePoint sites in the policy scope ensures that data cannot be directly copied from these locations and uploaded to AI websites, providing a holistic security posture.

By selecting "Devices, Instances, and SharePoint sites," the policy is configured to monitor and protect data across the most common sources and destinations, providing a robust defense against data exfiltration to AI services. This comprehensive approach is a cornerstone of modern data security strategies in Microsoft 365.

This information is verifiable through Microsoft's official documentation for Microsoft Purview, particularly sections related to Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies and Data Security Posture Management for AI. The best practice of "test first" and the broad scope for sensitive data protection are consistently recommended.

The Set-AdminAuditLogConfig -AdminAuditLogEnabled $true -AdminAuditLogCmdlets *Mailbox* command is incorrect. This enables admin audit logging, which tracks changes to mailbox configurations (e.g., mailbox settings updates), not user activity inside the mailbox.

To meet the requirements, you need one DLP policy with two separate DLP rules to handle the different conditions:

1. First DLP Rule (For Group1 Members): If the user is a member of Group1 and attempts to copy a file with sensitive data to a USB storage device. Allow the file copy but log the event in the audit log.

2. Second DLP Rule (For All Other Users): If any user who is NOT in Group1 attempts to copy a file with sensitive data to a USB storage device. Block the file transfer.