AWS Certified Security – Specialty

The AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C03) is the premier AWS credential for cloud security professionals. It validates the ability to design, implement, and manage a secure AWS environment aligned with security best practices and compliance requirements.

The exam covers six domains: Threat Detection and Incident Response (14%), Security Logging and Monitoring (18%), Infrastructure Security (20%), Identity and Access Management (16%), Data Protection (18%), and Management and Security Governance (14%). Core services include IAM (policies, roles, permission boundaries), AWS Organizations and SCPs, KMS, ACM, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, AWS Config, GuardDuty, Security Hub, Macie, WAF, Shield, Network Firewall, and Secrets Manager.

The SCS-C03 has 65 questions in 170 minutes with a passing score of 750/1000. AWS recommends at least 5 years of IT security experience and 2+ years of hands-on security work on AWS. It is the most sought-after credential for cloud security engineers and architects, and is increasingly required for roles in regulated industries like finance and healthcare.

Cloud security engineers, security architects, and compliance professionals responsible for securing AWS workloads and infrastructure.

Prerequisites: 5+ years of IT security experience and 2+ years hands-on AWS security experience. AWS Cloud Practitioner or Associate certification recommended.