AWS Security Specialty Exam Prep

The Security Specialty exam covers the full spectrum of AWS security: identity and access management, detection, infrastructure protection, data protection, and incident response. Expect deep questions on IAM (policies, permission boundaries, SCPs, identity federation, AWS SSO/Identity Center), KMS (key policies, grants, cross-account access, custom key stores), and security services (GuardDuty, Security Hub, Detective, Inspector, Macie).

Infrastructure security (20%) tests VPC security (security groups, NACLs, Network Firewall, WAF, Shield), while data protection (18%) covers encryption at rest and in transit for every major AWS service. Questions are scenario-based and often require you to choose the most secure solution that also meets operational requirements. Many questions present security incidents and ask you to identify the correct response procedure.

Master IAM first — it underpins every other security domain. Understand the policy evaluation logic, how resource-based and identity-based policies interact, the role of SCPs in Organizations, and how cross-account access works with IAM roles. Then focus on KMS: key policies, envelope encryption, the differences between AWS managed keys and customer managed keys, and how to audit key usage with CloudTrail.

For detection services, know how GuardDuty, Security Hub, Inspector, and Macie work together, and how to automate remediation with EventBridge and Lambda. Practice questions that involve analyzing CloudTrail logs and VPC flow logs to identify security issues. Budget 6-8 weeks of study with prior security experience.

Cloud security is the number one concern for organizations moving to AWS, making the Security Specialty one of the most valuable certifications in the market. Certified AWS security specialists command salaries ranging from $150,000 to $200,000, with demand far exceeding supply. This certification is increasingly required for security roles at cloud-first companies.

The certification validates that you can design and implement security architectures, respond to incidents, and ensure compliance on AWS — skills that are critical for every organization. It pairs well with the Solutions Architect Professional for security architects, or stands alone as a powerful credential for security engineers and analysts.