AWS Certified Security — Specialty

cybersecurity Advanced Updated: 2025-04-10 Methodology

The AWS Certified Security — Specialty validates advanced skills in securing AWS workloads. It covers threat detection, incident response, infrastructure security, identity and access management, and data protection in complex AWS environments.

$148K
Avg Salary
48%
Pass Rate
11.0K
Job Listings
160h
Study Time
$300
Exam Cost

Exam Details

Exam CodeSCS-C02
Exam Cost$300 USD
Duration170 minutes
Questions65
Passing Score750/1000
ProviderAmazon Web Services
Difficulty8/10

Salary Data

Professionals holding the AWS Certified Security — Specialty certification earn between $118,000 and $195,000 annually, with an average of $148,000.

Job market demand trend: Growing (+15% YoY)

Prerequisites

  • AWS Solutions Architect Associate or equivalent AWS knowledge recommended
  • 5+ years of IT security experience with 2+ years in AWS security
  • Hands-on experience with AWS security services (IAM, KMS, GuardDuty, Security Hub)

Skills Covered

AWS IAM & OrganizationsThreat Detection (GuardDuty, Detective)Infrastructure Security (VPC, WAF, Shield)Data Protection & Encryption (KMS, ACM)Incident Response & ForensicsSecurity Hub & Compliance AutomationLogging & Monitoring (CloudTrail, Config)

Best Study Resources

Official

AWS Exam Guide — SCS-C02

 Course

Zeal Vora — AWS Security Specialty

 Practice Exams

Tutorials Dojo Practice Exams

 Official

AWS Security Documentation & Whitepapers

Comparisons Featuring AWS Certified Security — Specialty

AWS Security Specialty vs Azure Security Engineer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AWS Security Specialty worth it?
For cloud security professionals in AWS environments, it's one of the most valuable certifications available. It commands an average salary of $148K and validates deep security expertise that enterprises urgently need as cloud adoption grows.
How hard is the SCS-C02 exam?
Very challenging with an estimated 48% pass rate. The exam tests deep knowledge of AWS security services, IAM policies, encryption strategies, and incident response. Real-world AWS security experience is almost essential — this is not a cert you can pass with theory alone.
AWS Security Specialty vs CISSP — which is more valuable?
They're complementary. CISSP is vendor-neutral and covers broad security management across 8 domains. AWS Security Specialty is deep and AWS-specific. For cloud security roles in AWS shops, having both is ideal. If you must choose one, CISSP has broader market recognition.

Data Sources

  • Salary data — Aggregated from job postings and salary surveys (US median)
  • Job listings — Active postings across major job boards
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates (not official vendor data)
  • Exam details — Amazon Web Services official documentation