Certification Prep

AWS Certified Security Specialty

Certification Prep

This certification prep path provides a deep dive into the security services and best practices required to secure the AWS platform and pass the AWS Certified Security - Specialty exam.

Path Releasing Q2 2025
Full access included with 
Cybrary Insider Pro
 and 
Teams

15

H

36

M
Time

Intermediate

i
Designed for learners who have no prior work experience in IT or Cybersecurity, but are interested in starting a career in this exciting field.
Experience Level

10

i

Earn qualifying credits for certification renewal with completion certificates provided for submission.
CEU's

Enrollees

Learners at 96% of Fortune 1000 companies trust Cybrary

About this Path

The AWS Certified Security - Specialty certification is for experienced cloud professionals responsible for securing AWS environments. Recommended for individuals with at least two years of hands-on experience securing AWS workloads, this certification validates your expertise in designing and implementing advanced security solutions to protect the AWS platform. Earning this credential proves you can handle complex security challenges, including incident response, data protection, and infrastructure hardening.

The exam will test your knowledge across five critical domains outlined by AWS:

  • Threat Detection and Incident Response: Designing and implementing architectures to detect and respond to security threats and incidents.
  • Security Logging and Monitoring: Architecting systems to automate security monitoring, logging, and alerting.
  • Infrastructure Security: Designing and implementing security controls for AWS infrastructure, including networking and compute services.
  • Identity and Access Management: Creating scalable and secure authorization and authentication systems for users and applications.
  • Data Protection: Implementing key management and data encryption solutions to protect data at rest and in transit.
Read More

Skills you'll gain

Path Outline

Collection Outline

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Start Learning for Free
1

Learn

Learn core concepts and get hands-on with key skills.

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Threat Detection and Incident Response
1
H
28
M

In this AWS CSS: Threat Detection and Incident Response course, you will learn about AWS acceptable use, unauthorized activtities, and AWS Config.

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Security Logging and Monitoring
1
H
8
M

In this AWS CCS: Security Logging and Monitoring course, you will learn about automated monitoring services, designing security logging, monitors, and alerts, and security reference architecture (SRA).

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Infrastructure Security
1
H
8
M

In this AWS CCS: Security Logging and Monitoring course, you will learn about automated monitoring services, designing security logging, monitors, and alerts, and security reference architecture (SRA).

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Identity and Access Management
1
H
22
M

In this AWS CSS: Identity and Access Management course, you will learn about Active Directory and AWS Directory Service, designing scalable systems to access AWS resources, and identifying issues when accessing AWS resources.

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Data Protection
1
H
34
M

In this AWS CSS: Data Protection course, you will learn about key managment solutions, designing and evaluating data encryption solutions, and designing mechanisms to forward traffic over secure connections

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Management and Security Governance
1
H
30
M

In this AWS CSS: Management and Security Governance course, you will learn about AWS Organizations, designing secure and consistent deployment strategies for cloud resources, and how to identify security gaps through architectureal reviews and cost analysis in AWS.

COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
COURSE
AWS CSS: Preparing for the Exam
H
34
M

In this brief AWS CSS: Preparing for the Exam course, you will learn how to decipher exam questions and get advice on how to study for the certification exam.

2

Practice

Exercise your problem-solving and creative thinking skills with security-centric puzzles

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Implement an IAM Policy
H
30
M

Gain hands-on experience creating an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy to manage an Amazon S3 bucket. Lab activities include: creating an IAM policy and user group, adding a user account to the group, creating an S3 bucket, adding an object to the bucket, and attempting to delete both the object and the bucket.

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Configure Security for an IAM User
H
30
M

Gain hands-on experience creating an Identity and Access Management (IAM) user that has full administrator access. Lab activities include: creating an IAM user, creating a user group, assigning a user to the group, attaching a policy to the group, and implementing multi-factor authentication for the root account.

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Implement Security by Using an IAM Role
H
30
M

Gain hands-on experience creating an Identity and Access Management (IAM) role to access an Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) bucket from an Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance. Activities include: creating an Amazon S3 bucket, creating an IAM policy that provides full control of the bucket, and testing the policy in a new EC2 instance.

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Implement a Network Access Control List Lab
H
45
M

In this lab, students will create a network Access Control List (ACL) that only allows specific traffic to a subnet. Students will then attempt to access a Web server through the ACL.

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Implement Protection for Data and Infrastructure
H
45
M

In this lab, you will learn how to protect sensitive information in an AWS environment. First, you will create an Amazon EC2 key pair to provide a secure connection to an instance. Then add and upload the key to the AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store. Finally, you will store a set of access key credentials in the AWS Secrets Manager.

Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Learn on Demand IT Pro Challenges
Implement a Security Monitoring Process
H
30
M

Gain hands-on experience implementing a security monitoring process with AWS CloudTrail. Lab activities include: setting up CloudTrail to track management events, configuring a topic by using Amazon SNS, configuring Amazon CloudWatch Logs by using a metric filter, configuring an alarm for a log group, and reviewing the CloudTrail trail.

3

Prove

Assess your knowledge and skills to identify areas for improvement and measure your growth

CyberVista Practice Test
CyberVista Practice Test
CyberVista Practice Test
CyberVista Practice Test
CyberVista Practice Test
CyberVista Practice Test
AWS Certified Security Specialty (SCS-C02)
H
30
M

Prepare for the AWS Certified Security Specialist (SCS-C02) exam. Amazon recommends candidates have at least 5 years of IT security experience in designing and implementing security solutions, and hands-on experience securing AWS workloads. The exam covers: Incident Response, Logging & Monitoring, Infrastructure Security, IAM, and Data Protection.

4

Train Your Team

Cybrary’s expert-led cybersecurity courses help your team remediate skill gaps and get up-to-date on certifications. Utilize Cybrary to stay ahead of emerging threats and provide team members with clarity on how to learn, grow, and advance their careers within your organization.

Instructors

Tony Vinson
Cloud Security Architect
Read Full Bio

Get Hands-on Learning

Put your skills to the test in virtual labs, challenges, and simulated environments.

Measure Your Progress

Track your skills development from lesson to lesson using the Cybrary Skills Tracker.

Connect with the Community

Connect with peers and mentors through our supportive community of cybersecurity professionals.

Success from Our Learners

"Cybrary really helped me get up to speed and acquire a baseline level of technical knowledge. It offers a far more comprehensive approach than just learning from a book. It actually shows you how to apply cybersecurity processes in a hands-on way"

Don Gates

Principal Systems Engineer/SAIC

"Cybrary’s SOC Analyst career path was the difference maker, and was instrumental in me landing my new job. I was able to show the employer that I had the right knowledge and the hands-on skills to execute the role."

Cory

Cybersecurity analyst/

"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community."

Mike

Security Engineer and Pentester/

"Cybrary really helped me get up to speed and acquire a baseline level of technical knowledge. It offers a far more comprehensive approach than just learning from a book. It actually shows you how to apply cybersecurity processes in a hands-on way"

Don Gates

Principal Systems Engineer/SAIC

"Cybrary’s SOC Analyst career path was the difference maker, and was instrumental in me landing my new job. I was able to show the employer that I had the right knowledge and the hands-on skills to execute the role."

Cory

Cybersecurity analyst/

"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community."

Mike

Security Engineer and Pentester/

"Becoming a Cybrary Insider Pro was a total game changer. Cybrary was instrumental in helping me break into cybersecurity, despite having no prior IT experience or security-related degree. Their career paths gave me clear direction, the instructors had real-world experience, and the virtual labs let me gain hands-on skills I could confidently put on my resume and speak to in interviews."

Cassandra

Information Security Analyst/Cisco Systems

"I was able to earn both my Security+ and CySA+ in two months. I give all the credit to Cybrary. I’m also proud to announce I recently accepted a job as a Cyber Systems Engineer at BDO... I always try to debunk the idea that you can't get a job without experience or a degree."

Casey

Cyber Systems Engineer/BDO

"Cybrary has helped me improve my hands-on skills and pass my toughest certification exams, enabling me to achieve 13 advanced certifications and successfully launch my own business. I love the practice tests for certification exams, especially, and appreciate the wide-ranging training options that let me find the best fit for my goals"

Angel

Founder,/ IntellChromatics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this for

This certification prep path is designed for mid-career practitioners currently in a security role and with two or more years of experience with securing AWS cloud workloads.

Which versions of the exam are supported?

This certification prep path is aligned with the SCS-C02 version of the AWS Certified Security Speciality exam.

More information about the AWS Certified Security Specialty exam is available here:https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-security-specialty/