This credential helps organizations identify and develop talent with critical skills for implementing cloud initiatives.
Earning AWS Certified Security – Specialty validates expertise in securing data and workloads in the AWS Cloud.
Who should take this exam?
AWS Certified Security – Specialty is intended for individuals who perform a security role and have at least two years of hands-on experience securing AWS workloads.
Before you take this exam, we recommend you have:
- Five years of IT security experience in designing and implementing security solutions and at least two years of hands-on experience in securing AWS workloads.
- Working knowledge of AWS security services and features of services to provide a secure production environment and an understanding of security operations and risks.
- Knowledge of the AWS shared responsibility model and its application; security controls for workloads on AWS; logging and monitoring strategies; cloud security threat models; patch management and security automation; ways to enhance AWS security services with third-party tools and services; and disaster recovery controls, including BCP and backups, encryption, access control, and data retention.
- Understanding of specialized data classifications and AWS data protection mechanisms, data-encryption methods and AWS mechanisms to implement them, and secure internet protocols and AWS mechanisms to implement them.
- Ability to make tradeoff decisions with regard to cost, security, and deployment complexity to meet a set of application requirements
What does it take to earn this certification?
To earn this certification, you’ll need to take and pass the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam (SCS-C01).
The exam features a combination of two question formats: multiple choice and multiple response.
Additional information, such as the exam content outline and passing score, is in the exam guide.
Review sample questions that demonstrate the format of the questions used on this exam and include rationales for the correct answers.
Download the sample questions »
Exam overview
Level: Specialty
Length: 170 minutes to complete the exam
Cost: 300 USD
Visit Exam pricing for additional cost information.
Format: 65 questions; either multiple choice or multiple response
Delivery method: Pearson VUE and PSI; testing center or online proctored exam
Languages offered
This exam is offered in the following languages: English, French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America).
Prepare for your exam
You’ve set your goal. Now it’s time to build knowledge and skills to propel your career.
Check out these resources from AWS Training and Certification that are relevant to AWS Certified Security – Specialty.
It’s not required to take any specific training before you take an exam.
These recommended resources are opportunities to learn from the experts at AWS.
Exam review:
- EXAM GUIDE: AWS Certified Security – Specialty Exam Guide
- SAMPLE QUESTIONS: AWS Certified Security – Specialty Sample Questions
- PRACTICE: AWS Certified Security – Specialty Official Practice Question Set
- DIGITAL TRAINING: Exam Readiness: AWS Certified Security – Specialty
AWS Training for security professionals
- DIGITAL TRAINING: Getting Started with AWS Security, Identity, and Compliance
- DIGITAL TRAINING: AWS Security Fundamentals (Second Edition)
WHITEPAPER:
- Security Pillar – AWS Well Architected Framework
- Amazon Web Services: Overview of Security Processes
- AWS Security Best Practices
- Security at Scale: Logging in AWS
- AWS Key Management Best Practices
- Building a Scalable and Secure Multi-VPC AWS Network Infrastructure
- Security & Compliance Quick Reference Guide
Best AWS Certified Security – Specialty Books 2022
AWS Certified Security Study Guide: Specialty (SCS-C01) Exam
Get prepared for the AWS Certified Security Specialty certification with this excellent resource
By earning the AWS Certified Security Specialty certification, IT professionals can gain valuable recognition as cloud security experts. The AWS Certified Security Study Guide: Specialty (SCS-C01) Exam helps cloud security practitioners prepare for success on the certification exam. It’s also an excellent reference for professionals, covering security best practices and the implementation of security features for clients or employers.
Architects and engineers with knowledge of cloud computing architectures will find significant value in this book, which offers guidance on primary security threats and defense principles.
Amazon Web Services security controls and tools are explained through real-world scenarios. These examples demonstrate how professionals can design, build, and operate secure cloud environments that run modern applications.
The study guide serves as a primary source for those who are ready to apply their skills and seek certification. It addresses how cybersecurity can be improved using the AWS cloud and its native security services. Readers will benefit from detailed coverage of AWS Certified Security Specialty Exam topics.
- Covers all AWS Certified Security Specialty exam topics
- Explains AWS cybersecurity techniques and incident response
- Covers logging and monitoring using the Amazon cloud
- Examines infrastructure security
- Describes access management and data protection
With a single study resource, you can learn how to enhance security through the automation, troubleshooting, and development integration capabilities available with cloud computing. You will also discover services and tools to develop security plans that work in sync with cloud adoption.
AWS Certified Security Specialty All-in-One Exam Guide (Exam SCS-C01)
Take the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam with confidence using the detailed information contained in this effective self-study resource.
Written by a team of AWS insiders, the book shows how to develop, deploy, and maintain robust security protocols on Amazon Web Services.
AWS Certified Security Specialty All-in-One Exam Guide (Exam SCS-C01) covers every objective for the exam and provides comprehensive content on cloud-based security.
To aid in study, each chapter includes exam tips, chapter summaries, and practice questions that simulate those on the live test.
Designed to help you pass the exam with ease, this hands-on guide also serves as an ideal on-the-job reference.
Covers all exam topics, including:
- Cloud security event investigation
- Cloud security event remediation and planning
- Monitoring with Amazon CloudWatch
- Enhanced security monitoring and compliance with AWS services
- Logging on AWS
- AWS cryptographic services and tools
- Designing edge security on AWS
- Designing and implementing a secure network infrastructure
- Troubleshooting a secure network infrastructure
- Designing and implementing host-based security
- AWS identity and access management
- Troubleshooting authorization and authentication services