Severity in cybersecurity refers to the level of impact or potential damage that a security incident, vulnerability, or threat can cause to an organization. It helps prioritize responses by assessing how disruptive or harmful the event could be to operations, data integrity, financial stability, reputation, or customer trust. Severity ratings are often categorized as low, medium, high, or critical, guiding teams in allocating resources and urgency to address the issue. Accurately determining severity is essential for effective risk management and incident response, ensuring that the most dangerous threats receive immediate attention and mitigation.