Which of the following is BEST deserved as "being outside the scope of risk management in DevSecOps"?

Risk management in DevSecOps focuses on identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks within the software delivery lifecycle and for specific applications. Managing major events (incident response) is a direct component of risk management, as it deals with the realization and containment of identified or unidentified risks. Informing business decisions and ensuring compliance are also core functions. However, assessing the effectiveness of the entire cybersecurity program is a broader, strategic governance and audit function that sits above the operational risk management performed within DevSecOps. While related, it is generally considered outside the direct scope.

B. Informing business risk decisions is a primary output and purpose of risk management, providing data for stakeholders to accept, mitigate, or transfer risk.
C. Assessing the effectiveness of the cybersecurity program is a higher-level governance or audit function, not a direct part of operational risk management within DevSecOps.
D. Ensuring the ability to meet compliance controls is a key driver for risk management; managing the risk of non-compliance is a critical, in-scope activity.

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2011). Special Publication 800-39, Managing Information Security Risk: Organization, Mission, and Information System View. Section 2.2, "The Tiers of Risk Management," distinguishes between organizational (Tier 1), mission/business process (Tier 2), and information system (Tier 3) levels. Assessing the entire program is a Tier 1 activity, while DevSecOps risk management is primarily Tier 2 and 3.

2. Myrbakken, H., & Røstad, L. (2017). DevSecOps: A Case Study of the Practice in a Financial Technology Company. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Page 11 discusses how risk assessments are integrated into the pipeline to "provide decision support."