This article explains how secure files are stored https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/library/secure-files?view=azure-devops#q-how-are-secure-files-secured
It refers to variable groups, but it doesn’t explicitly call out whether Pipeline secret variables are stored in the same way.
Please can someone confirm whether this is the case and if not, please provide clarity as to how these are stored.