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

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.

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.”

When you configure Microsoft Purview DLP policies for the Teams chat and channel messages location, the following entities are protected:

1:1 and n:n chats (private chats between two or more users).

Team channel messages (including the General channel and all standard channels).

Private channel messages.

This means that if a DLP policy is applied to User1 and User2, it will monitor and enforce rules across:

Chats between User1 and User2 (1:1 or group chats).

Any channel conversations they participate in (General or other channels).

Private channels they belong to.

Incorrect options:

A (1:1/n chats and general channels only) → Excludes private channels, but DLP supports them.

B (1:1/n chats and private channels only) → Excludes general channels, but DLP supports them too.

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).

Box 1: Publishing a Sensitivity Label

Sensitivity labels can be published to Microsoft 365 groups, security groups, SharePoint Online sites, and Microsoft Teams. Since we have:

● Group1 (Microsoft 365 group) - Supported

● Group2 (Security group) - Supported

● Site1 (SharePoint Online site) - Supported

● Team1 (Microsoft Teams team) - Supported

This means we can publish Label1 to Group1, Group2, Site1, and Team1.

Box 2: Auto-Applying a Sensitivity Label

Auto-apply policies for sensitivity labels work on:

● SharePoint Online sites (documents)

● OneDrive (documents)

● Exchange email (messages)

However, labels cannot be auto-applied to Microsoft 365 groups or Teams directly because labels are applied to files and emails, not to groups or Teams as entities. Since Site1 (a SharePoint Online site) supports auto-apply, it is the correct option.

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:

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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).

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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".

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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)

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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:

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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 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.

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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.

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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 create a keyword dictionary for a sensitive information type in Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP), you must use a plain text (.txt) file where each keyword is on a separate line.

Format Example (TXT file):

confidential

sensitive

classified

top secret

This format is simple, efficient, and directly compatible with Microsoft 365 DLP policies for keyword dictionaries.

How to use the keyword dictionary?

● Create a text file with one keyword per line.

● Upload it to Microsoft Purview under Data Classification > Sensitive Info Types.

● Use the dictionary in a DLP policy to identify and protect sensitive information.

Activity Explorer logs a DLP rule match event each time any DLP rule condition is met on a file.

File1 matches Rule11 and Rule12 → 2 events

File2 matches Rule21 and Rule22 → 2 events

File3 matches Rule11 and Rule22 → 2 events

Total events in Activity Explorer = 2 + 2 + 2 = 6.

Microsoft notes that Activity explorer shows granular DLP activities such as policy rule matches per item.

The DLP incidents report aggregates by policy match per item, not by each rule in that policy. Multiple rules from the same policy on the same item count as one incident; if different policies match the same item, each policy creates its own incident.

File1: Rules from DLP1 only → 1 incident

File2: Rules from DLP2 only → 1 incident

File3: One rule from DLP1 and one from DLP2 → 2 incidents

Total incidents = 1 + 1 + 2 = 4.

Step 1 – Understanding the scenario

The screenshot shows multiple Sensitive Information Types (SITs) in Microsoft Purview, including:

ABA Routing Number (Microsoft-built)

ASP.NET Machine Key (Microsoft-built)

Adatum document patterns (custom, Fingerprint type)

Adatum numbers (custom, Entity type)

Bundled SITs (like All Credential Types, All Full Names)

The question is asking:

Which SITs can you copy to create a new SIT?

Which SITs can you edit directly without copying?

Step 2 – Microsoft rules for SITs

Built-in SITs (published by Microsoft Corporation):

These cannot be edited directly. To modify them, you must create a copy first.

Custom SITs (created in your tenant, e.g., Contoso):

These can be edited directly without making a copy.

You need to prevent users from sharing sensitive information with third-party generative AI websites.

A. Information Protection → Classifies and labels data but does not block sharing with external AI sites.

B. Information Barriers → Restricts communication between groups of users (e.g., compliance walls), not web uploads.

C. Insider Risk Management → Detects risky behavior (like data exfiltration), but does not actively block data sharing.

D. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) → Detects and prevents sensitive data being copied to browsers, USBs, or uploaded to restricted domains (like ChatGPT, Bard, etc.).

When implementing Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management and using the HR data connector, you must prepare HR data in CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format. This format is required because Microsoft Purview supports CSV files for importing user employment details, termination dates, role changes, and other HR-related attributes.

Step 1 – Scenario

The alert in the exhibit is named Alert2.

Current status = Resolved.

The task is to identify which statuses you can change the alert to.

Step 2 – Microsoft 365 Alert Lifecycle

In Microsoft 365 compliance and security alerts, an alert can move between multiple statuses depending on investigation and remediation. The available statuses are:

Active – The alert is new and not yet acted upon.

Investigating – The alert is under review.

Resolved – The alert has been addressed.

Dismissed – The alert is ignored or deemed not relevant.

Step 3 – Status changes from "Resolved"

If an alert is in the Resolved state, administrators can reopen or reclassify it. According to Microsoft documentation, from Resolved, you can change it to:

Active

Investigating

Dismissed

This allows flexibility in continuing investigations if needed or dismissing false positives.

Step 4 – Microsoft Reference

From Microsoft Docs: “You can change the status of an alert between Active, Investigating, Resolved, and Dismissed to reflect its current stage in the triage process.”

Box 1: The Insider Risk Management Investigators role allows users to view recommendations related to insider risk cases and Microsoft Purview DSPM for AI insights. This role is appropriate because it grants access to review AI-related risk recommendations without unnecessary administrative privileges.

Box 2: The Insider Risk Management Analysts role allows users to analyze user risk levels and events using Activity Explorer. This follows the principle of least privilege, ensuring that User1 can only view risk levels and investigate but does not gain full administrative control over insider risk policies.