Which task outcome requires reporting authorization decisions, significant vulnerabilities, and risks to organizational officials?

• A. Security and privacy assessment reports are completed.
• B. A plan of action and milestones is developed.
• C. Risk determinations are rendered.
• D. Authorization decisions, significant vulnerabilities, and risks are reported to organizational officials.

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is governance through formal communication of risk and decision making. The task outcome that matches this is the one that explicitly requires reporting authorization decisions, significant vulnerabilities, and risks to organizational officials. This reporting ensures those responsible for oversight and risk management—the organizational officials—are informed of the authorization decision and the current risk posture, including any critical vulnerabilities that could affect the decision to operate the system.

Security and privacy assessment reports collect and summarize findings from evaluations, but they don’t by themselves convey the formal authorization decision or the ongoing risk status to governance so officials can act on it. A plan of action and milestones focuses on what actions will be taken and when, not on communicating the authority to operate or the broader risk context to officials. Risk determinations identify the level of risk, but without the explicit step of reporting those determinations and the related vulnerabilities to organizational officials, there’s no formal governance channel to authorize or deny operation.

So the best fit is the outcome that centers on reporting the authorization decision, vulnerabilities, and risks to those in charge of organizational governance. This ensures that the decision to authorize, require mitigations, or deny operation is made with full visibility at the leadership level.