The Amazon SCS-C02 Exam also referred to as the AWS Certified Security - Specialty exam, is a crucial step for individuals aiming to validate their expertise in securing and hardening AWS environments. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the key aspects of the exam, including its overview, content domains, recommended knowledge and experience, study resources, registration details, and preparation tips. By the end of this article, you'll have a thorough understanding of what it takes to ace the AWS Certified Security - Specialty exam.
The AWS Certified Security - Specialty exam is a specialty-level certification exam offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is designed for individuals with experience in securing AWS workloads and requires a deep understanding of various security-related topics specific to AWS environments. The exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions and has a duration of 170 minutes. Candidates need to demonstrate proficiency across five key domains, each with its respective weighting:
This domain assesses candidates' ability to troubleshoot, evaluate, and remediate security incidents in AWS environments effectively.
Candidates are tested on their proficiency in designing and implementing logging solutions and effectively monitoring, analyzing, and managing security data using AWS services like CloudWatch Logs, CloudTrail, and AWS Config.
This domain focuses on implementing robust network security measures and controls, protecting compute resources within AWS, and employing best practices for instance hardening and web application firewall (WAF) configuration.
IAM policies and user permissions play a crucial role in controlling access to AWS resources. Candidates need to demonstrate their ability to design and manage IAM policies effectively and implement federated access and authentication mechanisms.
Data encryption, both at rest and in transit, is a fundamental aspect of AWS security. Candidates are tested on their knowledge of implementing encryption using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and securing sensitive data through various AWS services and mechanisms.
To excel in the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam, candidates should possess a minimum of two years of hands-on experience securing AWS workloads. In addition to practical experience, candidates should have an in-depth understanding of AWS security services and features. They should be capable of identifying and analyzing risks, designing and implementing security solutions, and responding effectively to security incidents.
Preparation is key to success in the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam. Fortunately, AWS provides a wealth of resources to help candidates prepare effectively:
AWS offers several courses and training paths specifically designed for security. These courses cover a wide range of topics, from foundational security principles to advanced security best practices.
Extensive documentation is available for AWS security services, providing detailed guides and tutorials on implementation and configuration. Candidates can access a wealth of information to supplement their study efforts.
AWS offers a variety of whitepapers and FAQ documents related to security best practices. These resources provide valuable insights and recommendations to help candidates deepen their understanding of key security concepts.
To familiarize themselves with the exam format and assess their readiness, candidates can take advantage of AWS-provided sample questions and practice exams. These resources are invaluable for gauging one's preparedness and identifying areas for further study.
Candidates can register for the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam through the AWS Training and Certification portal. The exam can be taken at a Pearson VUE testing center or online via a proctored exam, providing flexibility and convenience for candidates worldwide.
To maximize their chances of success in the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam, candidates should consider the following preparation tips:
Gain practical experience by working on AWS security tasks and projects. Set up VPC configurations, implement IAM policies, and explore encryption mechanisms to reinforce your understanding of key concepts.
Utilize study guides and books focused on the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam. These resources offer structured learning paths, practice exercises, and real-world scenarios to help candidates prepare effectively.
Take multiple practice tests to familiarize yourself with the exam format and question styles. Practice tests can help you identify areas of strength and weakness, allowing you to focus your study efforts accordingly.
Join AWS certification forums and communities to connect with fellow candidates, share knowledge, and seek advice from others who have taken the exam. Engaging with a community of like-minded individuals can provide valuable support and insights throughout your exam preparation journey.
The AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam (SCS-C02) is a challenging but rewarding certification that validates your expertise in securing AWS environments. By leveraging the resources and preparation tips outlined in this guide, you can confidently prepare for and ace the exam, setting yourself on the path to becoming a certified AWS security specialist.
Question 1
A company has AWS accounts in an organization in AWS Organizations. The organizationincludes a dedicated security account.All AWS account activity across all member accounts must be logged and reported to thededicated security account. The company must retain all the activity logs in a securestorage location within the dedicated security account for 2 years. No changes or deletions of the logs are allowed.Which combination of steps will meet these requirements with the LEAST operationaloverhead? (Select TWO.)
A. In the dedicated security account, create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure S3 ObjectLock in compliance mode and a retention period of 2 years on the S3 bucket. Set thebucket policy to allow the organization's management account to write to the S3 bucket.
B. In the dedicated security account, create an Amazon S3 bucket. Configure S3 ObjectLock in compliance mode and a retention period of 2 years on the S3 bucket. Set thebucket policy to allow the organization's member accounts to write to the S3 bucket.
C. In the dedicated security account, create an Amazon S3 bucket that has an S3 Lifecycleconfiguration that expires objects after 2 years. Set the bucket policy to allow theorganization's member accounts to write to the S3 bucket.
D. Create an AWS Cloud Trail trail for the organization. Configure logs to be delivered tothe logging Amazon S3 bucket in the dedicated security account.
E. Turn on AWS CloudTrail in each account. Configure logs to be delivered to an AmazonS3 bucket that is created in the organization's management account. Forward the logs tothe S3 bucket in the dedicated security account by using AWS Lambda and AmazonKinesis Data Firehose.
Question 2
A company wants to monitor the deletion of customer managed CMKs A security engineermust create an alarm that will notify the company before a CMK is deleted The securityengineer has configured the integration of IAM CloudTrail with Amazon CloudWatchWhat should the security engineer do next to meet this requirement?
A. Use inbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port 443 Use inbound rule 200 to denytraffic on TCP port 3306 Use outbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port 443
B. Use inbound rule 100 to deny traffic on TCP port 3306. Use inbound rule 200 to allowtraffic on TCP port range 1024-65535. Use outbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port443
C. Use inbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port range 1024-65535 Use inbound rule200 to deny traffic on TCP port 3306 Use outbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port443
D. Use inbound rule 100 to deny traffic on TCP port 3306 Use inbound rule 200 to allowtraffic on TCP port 443 Use outbound rule 100 to allow traffic on TCP port 443
Question 3
A company has implemented IAM WAF and Amazon CloudFront for an application. Theapplication runs on Amazon EC2 instances that are part of an Auto Scaling group. TheAuto Scaling group is behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB).The IAM WAF web ACL uses an IAM Managed Rules rule group and is associated with theCloudFront distribution. CloudFront receives the request from IAM WAF and then uses theALB as the distribution's origin.During a security review, a security engineer discovers that the infrastructure is susceptibleto a large, layer 7 DDoS attack.How can the security engineer improve the security at the edge of the solution to defendagainst this type of attack?
A. Configure the CloudFront distribution to use the Lambda@Edge feature. Create an IAMLambda function that imposes a rate limit on CloudFront viewer requests. Block the requestif the rate limit is exceeded.
B. Configure the IAM WAF web ACL so that the web ACL has more capacity units toprocess all IAM WAF rules faster.
C. Configure IAM WAF with a rate-based rule that imposes a rate limit that automaticallyblocks requests when the rate limit is exceeded.
D. Configure the CloudFront distribution to use IAM WAF as its origin instead of the ALB.
Question 4
An IT department currently has a Java web application deployed on Apache Tomcatrunning on Amazon EC2 instances. All traffic to the EC2 instances is sent through aninternet-facing Application Load Balancer (ALB) The Security team has noticed during thepast two days thousands of unusual read requests coming from hundreds of IP addresses.This is causing the Tomcat server to run out of threads and reject new connectionsWhich the SIMPLEST change that would address this server issue?
A. Create an Amazon CloudFront distribution and configure the ALB as the origin
B. Block the malicious IPs with a network access list (NACL).
C. Create an IAM Web Application Firewall (WAF). and attach it to the ALB
D. Map the application domain name to use Route 53
Question 5
A company recently had a security audit in which the auditors identified multiple potentialthreats. These potential threats can cause usage pattern changes such as DNS access peak, abnormal instance traffic, abnormal network interface traffic, and unusual Amazon S3API calls. The threats can come from different sources and can occur at any time. Thecompany needs to implement a solution to continuously monitor its system and identify allthese incoming threats in near-real time.Which solution will meet these requirements?
A. Enable AWS CloudTrail logs, VPC flow logs, and DNS logs. Use Amazon CloudWatchLogs to manage these logs from a centralized account.
B. Enable AWS CloudTrail logs, VPC flow logs, and DNS logs. Use Amazon Macie tomonitor these logs from a centralized account.
C. Enable Amazon GuardDuty from a centralized account. Use GuardDuty to manageAWS CloudTrail logs, VPC flow logs, and DNS logs.
D. Enable Amazon Inspector from a centralized account. Use Amazon Inspector to manageAWS CloudTrail logs, VPC flow logs, and DNS logs.
Question 6
A company has multiple Amazon S3 buckets encrypted with customer-managed CMKsDue to regulatory requirements the keys must be rotated every year. The company'sSecurity Engineer has enabled automatic key rotation for the CMKs; however the companywants to verity that the rotation has occurred.What should the Security Engineer do to accomplish this?
A. Filter IAM CloudTrail logs for KeyRotaton events
B. Monitor Amazon CloudWatcn Events for any IAM KMS CMK rotation events
C. Using the IAM CLI. run the IAM kms gel-key-relation-status operation with the --key-idparameter to check the CMK rotation date
D. Use Amazon Athena to query IAM CloudTrail logs saved in an S3 bucket to filterGenerate New Key events
Question 7
A security engineer needs to build a solution to turn IAM CloudTrail back on in multiple IAMRegions in case it is ever turned off.What is the MOST efficient way to implement this solution?
A. Use IAM Config with a managed rule to trigger the IAM-EnableCloudTrail remediation.
B. Create an Amazon EventBridge (Amazon CloudWatch Events) event with acloudtrail.amazonIAM.com event source and a StartLogging event name to trigger an IAMLambda function to call the StartLogging API.
C. Create an Amazon CloudWatch alarm with a cloudtrail.amazonIAM.com event sourceand a StopLogging event name to trigger an IAM Lambda function to call the StartLoggingAPI.
D. Monitor IAM Trusted Advisor to ensure CloudTrail logging is enabled.
Question 8
An application is running on an Amazon EC2 instance that has an IAM role attached. TheIAM role provides access to an AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) customermanaged key and an Amazon S3 bucket. The key is used to access 2 TB of sensitive datathat is stored in the S3 bucket.A security engineer discovers a potential vulnerability on the EC2 instance that could resultin the compromise of the sensitive data. Due to other critical operations, the securityengineer cannot immediately shut down the EC2 instance for vulnerability patching.What is the FASTEST way to prevent the sensitive data from being exposed?
A. Download the data from the existing S3 bucket to a new EC2 instance. Then delete thedata from the S3 bucket. Re-encrypt the data with a client-based key. Upload the data to anew S3 bucket.
B. Block access to the public range of S3 endpoint IP addresses by using a host-basedfirewall. Ensure that internet-bound traffic from the affected EC2 instance is routed throughthe host-based firewall.
C. Revoke the IAM role's active session permissions. Update the S3 bucket policy to denyaccess to the IAM role. Remove the IAM role from the EC2 instance profile.
D. Disable the current key. Create a new KMS key that the IAM role does not have accessto, and re-encrypt all the data with the new key. Schedule the compromised key fordeletion.
Question 9
A company uses Amazon API Gateway to present REST APIs to users. An API developerwants to analyze API access patterns without the need to parse the log files.Which combination of steps will meet these requirements with the LEAST effort? (SelectTWO.)
A. Configure access logging for the required API stage.
B. Configure an AWS CloudTrail trail destination for API Gateway events. Configure filterson the userldentity, userAgent, and sourcelPAddress fields.
C. Configure an Amazon S3 destination for API Gateway logs. Run Amazon Athenaqueries to analyze API access information.
D. Use Amazon CloudWatch Logs Insights to analyze API access information.
E. Select the Enable Detailed CloudWatch Metrics option on the required API stage.
Question 10
A company has an application that uses dozens of Amazon DynamoDB tables to storedata. Auditors find that the tables do not comply with the company's data protection policy.The company's retention policy states that all data must be backed up twice each month:once at midnight on the 15th day of the month and again at midnight on the 25th day of themonth. The company must retain the backups for 3 months.Which combination of steps should a security engineer take to meet these re-quirements?(Select TWO.)
A. Use the DynamoDB on-demand backup capability to create a backup plan. Con-figure alifecycle policy to expire backups after 3 months.
B. Use AWS DataSync to create a backup plan. Add a backup rule that includes a retentionperiod of 3 months.
C. Use AVVS Backup to create a backup plan. Add a backup rule that includes a retentionperiod of 3 months.
D. Set the backup frequency by using a cron schedule expression. Assign eachDynamoDB table to the backup plan.
E. Set the backup frequency by using a rate schedule expression. Assign each DynamoDBtable to the backup plan.
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Amazon SCS-C02 Exam Sample Questions