How are incidents categorized in terms of severity?

How are incidents categorized in terms of severity?

• A. Low to High
• B. Minor to Critical
• C. Simple to Severe
• D. Initial to Final

Answer: (A)

Severity is assessed on a progression from low to high, based on the incident’s impact and urgency. This scale lets teams quickly decide what to prioritize and how much resources to dedicate. The best fit is the low to high framing because it clearly communicates a standard, widely understood continuum used to guide escalation and response levels. The other phrasings aren’t as commonly used or are awkward: “minor to critical” isn't the typical, formal scale, “simple to severe” is vague, and “initial to final” describes stages in an incident’s lifecycle rather than how severe it is. For context, a minor phishing attempt would be low severity, while a ransomware outbreak would be high severity, guiding faster containment and more extensive remediation.

Severity is assessed on a progression from low to high, based on the incident’s impact and urgency. This scale lets teams quickly decide what to prioritize and how much resources to dedicate. The best fit is the low to high framing because it clearly communicates a standard, widely understood continuum used to guide escalation and response levels. The other phrasings aren’t as commonly used or are awkward: “minor to critical” isn't the typical, formal scale, “simple to severe” is vague, and “initial to final” describes stages in an incident’s lifecycle rather than how severe it is. For context, a minor phishing attempt would be low severity, while a ransomware outbreak would be high severity, guiding faster containment and more extensive remediation.