AWS Security Specialty
Exam fee
$300
≈ 237 GBP · 405 CAD · 276 EUR · rolling-avg FX; verify with your bank before any payment
Exam code
SCS-C03
Renewal
3yr
The AWS Security Specialty is a cybersecurity certification from Amazon with an exam fee of $300 and a 3-year renewal cycle. Built from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Amazon's official exam requirements.
About the AWS Security Specialty
AWS Security Specialty is the cloud security cert you earn when AWS is your operating environment. AWS retired the SCS-C02 version and replaced it with the current SCS-C03. It tests deep knowledge of AWS-native controls: IAM, KMS, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub, Macie, Inspector, WAF, Shield, and the shared responsibility model in practice. Unlike CCSP's vendor-neutral governance focus, SCS-C03 is hands-on AWS. Expect scenarios that make you pick the right bucket policy, the right KMS key policy, and the right VPC endpoint configuration for a given requirement. Employers running AWS-first security programs often list this cert above CISSP for cloud security engineering roles.
Who should earn it
Security engineers and architects building on AWS, DevSecOps practitioners running AWS-native security pipelines, and consultants working with AWS-first customers.
Exam details
- Provider
- Amazon
- Exam code
- SCS-C03
- Questions
- 65
- Duration
- 170 minutes
- Passing score
- 750/1000
- Exam fee
- $300 (verify with Amazon)
- Renewal
- Every 3 years via CPE
- Experience level
- Specialized
- DoD 8570/8140
- Not on the list
Prerequisites
Five years of IT security experience recommended, including two years of hands-on AWS security workload experience. Not enforced.
Key domains
- Threat Detection and Incident Response
- Security Logging and Monitoring
- Infrastructure Security
- Identity and Access Management
- Data Protection
- Management and Security Governance
Salary impact
Typical salary lift is $15,000-$30,000 for cloud security engineers in AWS-heavy shops. Roles in the $140,000-$200,000 range list it as required or strongly preferred.
Most relevant roles
This role lives inside a packaged path
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Cert-prep add-on for this credential
Certification details are sourced from official certifying body websites. Verify current pricing, exam format, and requirements directly with the certifying organization before making decisions. DecipherU is not affiliated with any certifying body.
Exam code SCS-C03. Amazon publishes 6 domains: Threat Detection and Incident Response, Security Logging and Monitoring, Infrastructure Security, Identity and Access Management, Data Protection, Management and Security Governance. Practice questions on DecipherU are grouped by those domains.
Up to 65 questions in 170 minutes, with a passing score of 750/1000, according to Amazon. Formats and counts change between exam versions, so confirm on the Amazon site before you book.
Amazon lists the exam fee at $300 USD. Vouchers, bundles and regional pricing differ; the fee on the Amazon site at checkout is the one that applies.
3 years, per Amazon. Renewal is through continuing education credits or by passing a current exam; Amazon sets the credit count and the deadline.
Five years of IT security experience recommended, including two years of hands-on AWS security workload experience. Not enforced.
Sources
- Amazon official website · Certification pricing, exam format, and renewal requirements
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024
Related Cybersecurity Resources
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DecipherU's career insights are developed by Julian Calvo, Ed.D., with AI-assisted research and drafting, then reviewed and edited by DecipherU Editorial. Career and compensation data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, and industry compensation databases. Assessment frameworks are grounded in peer-reviewed psychometric research, learning sciences (University of Miami), organizational learning (Barry University), and applied AI (Northeastern University). AI is used as a research and drafting tool; all methodology, framework design, scoring, and editorial standards are owned by the DecipherU team.