100+ Free AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Practice Questions
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A security engineer needs continuous monitoring for malicious or unauthorized behavior across AWS accounts and S3 data, leveraging machine learning and threat intelligence. Which service should be enabled organization-wide?
Key Facts: AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Exam
65 (50+15)
Questions
AWS SCS-C03 guide
170 min
Exam Time
AWS
750/1000
Passing Score
AWS
$300
Exam Fee
AWS
20% IAM
Heaviest Domain
C03 blueprint
3 years
Cert Validity
AWS
SCS-C03 has 65 questions (50 scored + 15 unscored) in 170 minutes, requires a scaled score of 750/1000, and costs $300. The blueprint shifted IAM to the largest domain (20%), reduced Threat Detection & IR to 14%, and introduced GenAI security in Domain 3. The previous SCS-C02 retired December 1, 2025.
Sample AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1A security engineer needs continuous monitoring for malicious or unauthorized behavior across AWS accounts and S3 data, leveraging machine learning and threat intelligence. Which service should be enabled organization-wide?
2GuardDuty has produced a high-severity finding for a compromised EC2 instance generating cryptocurrency-mining traffic. Which sequence best preserves forensic evidence while stopping the threat?
3A team wants to scan running EC2 instances, container images in ECR, and Lambda functions for OS, language-package, and code vulnerabilities, using a single managed service. Which service provides this?
4Security Hub aggregates findings across accounts. The team wants every new CRITICAL finding to automatically open a ticket in their ITSM system and trigger a Lambda remediation. Which integration approach is recommended?
5A SOC analyst needs to investigate the relationships between an IAM principal, an EC2 instance, and external IP addresses involved in a GuardDuty finding. Which AWS service is purpose-built for this graph-based investigation?
6The security team wants to detect EBS volumes containing malware after GuardDuty reports a suspicious EC2 instance. Which capability provides this without disrupting the workload?
7GuardDuty keeps generating findings for benign penetration testing originating from a corporate IP block. The team wants those specific findings to stop appearing without disabling detection. What is the correct mechanism?
8A finding indicates EKS cluster runtime activity consistent with reverse-shell behavior. Which GuardDuty feature surfaces this kind of in-container threat?
9Which capability lets a multi-account organization receive consolidated GuardDuty, Inspector, and Security Hub data in a single delegated security account?
10The team needs to automatically remediate a finding by isolating an EC2 instance and rotating its IAM role credentials, with auditable approvals between steps. Which combination is most appropriate?
About the AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Exam
AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C03) is the 2025+ refresh of the AWS specialty cloud-security exam, available since December 2, 2025. It validates expert skills across IAM (now the heaviest domain at 20%), data protection, infrastructure security, security logging and monitoring, threat detection and incident response, and security foundations and governance — including new content on generative AI security with Amazon Bedrock guardrails and model invocation logging.
Assessment
50 scored multiple choice / multiple response / ordering / matching, plus 15 unscored items
Time Limit
170 minutes
Passing Score
750/1000
Exam Fee
$300 (AWS / Pearson VUE)
AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Exam Content Outline
Identity and Access Management
IAM users/roles/policies, SCPs, permission boundaries, IAM Identity Center, ABAC, federation (SAML/OIDC), STS, Cognito, and cross-account access — now the heaviest C03 domain
Security Logging and Monitoring
CloudTrail (org trails, data events, Insights, Lake), CloudWatch Logs, VPC Flow Logs, Config conformance packs, Athena, OpenSearch, Security Lake (OCSF)
Infrastructure Security
VPC design, NACLs vs SGs, VPC endpoints/PrivateLink, Network Firewall, WAF, Shield Advanced, Firewall Manager, CloudFront edge security, Verified Access, Nitro Enclaves, IRSA
Data Protection
KMS (multi-region, grants, encryption context, Bucket Keys), CloudHSM, Secrets Manager rotation, Parameter Store, S3 encryption, ACM/Private CA, Macie, Backup Vault Lock — and Bedrock GenAI security
Threat Detection and Incident Response
GuardDuty (Runtime, S3, EKS, Lambda, Malware Protection), Security Hub standards, Detective, Inspector, automated remediation with EventBridge + Step Functions + SSM, IR forensics
Security Foundations and Governance
Well-Architected Security Pillar, AWS Organizations, Control Tower guardrails, Service Catalog launch constraints, Audit Manager, Artifact, conformance packs, shared responsibility model
How to Pass the AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: 750/1000
- Assessment: 50 scored multiple choice / multiple response / ordering / matching, plus 15 unscored items
- Time limit: 170 minutes
- Exam fee: $300
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C03) Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed in SCS-C03 versus SCS-C02?
SCS-C03 retired the C02 on December 1, 2025. IAM weight grew from 16% to 20% (now heaviest), Threat Detection & IR dropped 2% to 14%, Infrastructure Security dropped 2% to 18%, Domain 6 was renamed to Security Foundations and Governance, GenAI security (Bedrock) was added, and new question formats include ordering and matching items.
What is the SCS-C03 exam structure?
65 questions in 170 minutes: 50 scored items (multiple choice, multiple response, ordering, matching) plus 15 unscored research items. The passing score is 750 on a 100–1000 scaled scale. The exam costs US$300 and is delivered by Pearson VUE at a test center or as an online proctored OnVUE exam.
What background does AWS recommend?
AWS recommends 5+ years of IT security experience with at least 2 years of hands-on AWS security work. There are no prerequisite certifications, but Solutions Architect Associate, SysOps Associate, or the Cloud Practitioner provide a useful baseline before tackling the specialty.
How long should I study for SCS-C03?
Most successful candidates spend 100–150 hours over 8–14 weeks. Hands-on labs in IAM policy evaluation, KMS key/grant management, GuardDuty/Security Hub workflows, VPC inspection patterns, and Bedrock guardrails pay off more than memorization.
Is GenAI security really on the SCS-C03 exam?
Yes. The C03 blueprint adds Skill 3.2.7 in Domain 3 covering generative AI security: Bedrock model invocation logging, guardrails for prompt injection and PII, encryption of foundation-model data, and IAM scoping for InvokeModel.
How long is the certification valid?
AWS specialty certifications are valid for three years. You can recertify by retaking the current version of the exam or by passing a higher-level AWS exam that covers the same content area.
What is the retake policy if I fail?
If you fail SCS-C03, AWS requires a 14-day waiting period before a retake. Each retake costs the full $300. After passing, the same exam cannot be retaken for two years.