What kind of assessments can a QSA perform?

The correct choice indicates that a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) can perform onsite assessments for PCI compliance. This is significant because the PCI DSS compliance process often involves a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s payment card transaction environment, and this assessment typically requires the QSA to be physically present to evaluate systems, processes, and security measures firsthand.

Onsite assessments allow the QSA to directly observe operational practices, interview staff, and verify controls in place. The QSA's presence enhances the thoroughness of the assessment, ensuring that compliance with PCI DSS requirements is accurately evaluated.

While remote assessments may be conducted in some contexts, they do not encompass the full scope of an onsite evaluation, where the QSA can gain deeper insights into the environment and its vulnerabilities. Annual self-assessments or incident response assessments, although relevant in certain scenarios, do not represent the comprehensive compliance assessment that an onsite evaluation entails. Hence, the specific capability of the QSA to perform detailed onsite assessments underscores the importance of their role in the validation of PCI compliance.