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Security teams face an increasingly complex landscape. Threats span identities, endpoints, email, cloud workloads, and emerging AI environments. The best defenders aren’t just reacting to threats—they’re continuously building the skills needed to stay ahead. 

That’s why we’re inviting security practitioners to build practical security operations expertise while working toward their next certification goal. Running from July 20 through August 21, 2026, and focused on skills across Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud, this hands-on learning experience is the Microsoft Defender Challenge. 

Build Skills That Matter to the Modern SOC 

The Microsoft Defender Challenge isn’t about memorizing content for an exam. It’s designed to help you develop real-world security skills you can apply immediately in your organization. Through curated Microsoft Learn content, you’ll strengthen your ability to: 

• Detect, investigate, and respond to threats across Microsoft Defender XDR 

• Manage incidents and automate workflows with Microsoft Sentinel 

• Triage and remediate security alerts in Microsoft Defender for Cloud 

• Secure cloud and AI workloads using modern security practices 

• Improve operational readiness for today’s evolving threat landscape 

Whether you’re a SOC analyst, security engineer, cloud security practitioner, or IT professional looking to expand your security expertise, the challenge is an opportunity to sharpen skills that map directly to modern security operations. 

Complete the Challenge and Enter the Sweepstakes 

Learning is the real reward, but there’s an added incentive. Participants who complete the Microsoft Defender Challenge and submit the official sweepstakes entry form by August 21, 2026 will have the opportunity to win one of 500 certification exam vouchers worth 50% off one of the following Microsoft Certifications: 

• SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst 

• SC-500: Microsoft Cloud and AI Security Engineer 

How to Enter 

1. Complete the Microsoft Defender Challenge on Microsoft Learn. 

1. Before the entry period closes, submit the official sweepstakes entry form. 

1. If selected, you’ll receive instructions for redeeming your certification discount voucher. 

Challenge window: July 20 – August 21, 2026. Sweepstakes entry deadline: August 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM UTC. 

No purchase necessary. See official rules for eligibility and sweepstakes details. 

Join Learn Live: Remediating Threats Using Microsoft Defender 

Want a guided walkthrough of the skills featured in the challenge? Join a live, interactive event where you can learn directly from Microsoft experts, ask questions in real time, and explore security operations scenarios together. Save your spot for our August Learn Live session. 

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026   |   Time: 12:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM ET 

You’ll be guided by Scott Landry, Microsoft Security Customer Experience Engineering, as you explore practical approaches to investigating security incidents, managing and remediating threats across the Microsoft Defender ecosystem, automating investigations and response actions, strengthening security operations processes, and applying Microsoft Defender capabilities to real-world scenarios. 

Start Building Your Skills Today 

Ready to level up? Sign up today to take the Microsoft Defender Challenge, then join us for the Learn Live session on August 19. Your skilling journey doesn’t end here—keep learning, keep growing, and keep building beyond August at the Security Hub on Microsoft Learn.