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AWS • Security Specialty
AWS Certified Security - Specialty (SCS-C02)
Design and implement security controls for AWS workloads.
Practice setup
Exam info
- Exam ID
- SCS-C02
- Cost of Exam
- $300 USD
- Length of Test
- 170 Minutes
- Number of Questions
- 65
View full exam details
- Exam Level
- Specialty
- Launch Date
- July 2023
- Recommended Experience
- 3+ years of security experience and 2+ years securing AWS workloads
- Question Types
- Multiple Choice / Multiple Response
- Passing Score
- Scaled score determined by AWS
Domains and Objectives
Threat Detection and Incident Response1.014%
Objectives in this domain
- Implement detection capabilities across cloud environments.
- Investigate and triage security events using AWS-native controls.
- Coordinate containment and recovery workflows.
Security Logging and Monitoring2.018%
Objectives in this domain
- Design centralized security logging pipelines.
- Define alerting and response thresholds for meaningful security signals.
- Maintain observability for audit and operational security requirements.
Infrastructure Security3.020%
Objectives in this domain
- Secure network and compute boundaries across AWS services.
- Apply defense-in-depth controls for workload protection.
- Manage exposure reduction and hardening strategies.
Identity and Access Management4.016%
Objectives in this domain
- Design IAM permissions and trust relationships.
- Implement least-privilege access controls across accounts and services.
- Use federation and role-based patterns for secure access.
Data Protection5.018%
Objectives in this domain
- Implement encryption controls and key management strategies.
- Protect data in transit and at rest across architectures.
- Apply classification and access controls for sensitive datasets.
Management, Governance, and Security Operations6.014%
Objectives in this domain
- Align cloud security controls with governance and compliance objectives.
- Implement policy enforcement and auditability mechanisms.
- Improve security operations maturity through repeatable operational processes.
Resources
Official Exam Page
AWS Certified Security - Specialty certification overview with prep plan links and registration.
Open resourceExam Guide (SCS-C02)
Official SCS-C02 exam guide PDF with domains, weighting, scoring, and scope.
Open resourceIn-Scope AWS Services (SCS-C02)
Official list of AWS services and features that are in scope for SCS-C02.
Open resourceSkill Builder: Security Specialty Exam Prep
Official AWS Skill Builder category for Security Specialty exam preparation resources.
Open resourceSecurity Ramp-Up Guide
Curated AWS training, whitepapers, blogs, and videos to build Security, Identity, and Compliance skills.
Open resourceTraining Course: Security Engineering on AWS
Three-day instructor-led course covering AWS security services, monitoring, automation, and incident response.
Open resourceCertification Exam Prep Hub
Official hub for AWS Certification prep, including practice question sets, pretests, and readiness resources.
Open resourceAWS Security Incident Response Guide
Official guidance on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from security incidents in AWS.
Open resourceAWS Security Reference Architecture (SRA)
Prescriptive guidance for implementing a multi-account AWS security architecture.
Open resourceIAM Security Best Practices
Core identity and access management best practices for securing AWS accounts and workloads.
Open resourceAWS KMS Developer Guide
Official documentation for AWS Key Management Service covering encryption and key management.
Open resourceAmazon GuardDuty User Guide
Threat detection service documentation for enabling and operationalizing GuardDuty.
Open resourceAWS Security Hub User Guide
Documentation for centralizing and prioritizing security findings across AWS accounts.
Open resourceAmazon Macie User Guide
Documentation for discovering, classifying, and protecting sensitive data in Amazon S3.
Open resourceAmazon Inspector User Guide
Documentation for automated vulnerability management and findings remediation.
Open resourceAmazon Detective User Guide
Documentation for investigating and analyzing security findings across AWS data sources.
Open resourceAWS WAF and AWS Shield Developer Guide
Documentation for AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and related protections for web applications and DDoS.
Open resourceAWS Organizations User Guide
Multi-account governance guidance including guardrails with service control policies.
Open resourceAWS CloudTrail User Guide
Audit and logging documentation to monitor account activity across AWS infrastructure.
Open resourceSecurity in Amazon S3
Best practices for access control, encryption, and monitoring for Amazon S3.
Open resourceExam history
Introduced on July 11, 2023, SCS-C02 replaced the original 2018 AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam and remained available through December 1, 2025 before the transition to SCS-C03.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-09
AWS launched the Security – Specialty certification in 2018 as its first dedicated security credential, following a public beta that ran January 15–March 2, 2018 and a general-availability announcement on April 23, 2018; this first iteration is documented as SCS‑C01 in the official exam guide. ([aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/architecture/announcing-our-new-beta-for-the-aws-certified-security-specialty-exam/?utm_source=openai))
The updated exam version SCS‑C02 opened for registration on June 13, 2023 and became available to take on July 11, 2023, replacing the prior version (last day to take the previous exam was July 10, 2023); on October 14, 2025 AWS announced another update (SCS‑C03) with the last day to take SCS‑C02 set as December 1, 2025, and subsequently published the SCS‑C03 exam guide (v1.0) on March 26, 2026 with an appendix comparing SCS‑C02 and SCS‑C03. ([aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/training-and-certification/new-courses-and-updates-from-aws-training-and-certification-in-april-2023/?utm_source=openai))
Change tracker
SCS-C02 launched
AWS released SCS-C02 as the current Security Specialty exam with updated objectives aligned to modern cloud security operations.
SCS-C01 retired
The prior version was replaced to align with evolving AWS security services and practices.