My AWS Certified Security Specialty Certification Study Guide

Important: Having a solid foundation in AWS core services is essential. If you're new to AWS, I recommend completing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification first.

1. Study Guide for AWS Security Specialty

2. Essential AWS Security Workshops:

Practice hands-on with these official AWS workshops:

• AWS Security Hub Workshop
• AWS Identity Workshop
• AWS Network Firewall Workshop
• AWS WAF Workshop

3. Key Focus Areas:

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

   • IAM policies and permissions
   • IAM roles and federation
   • AWS Organizations
   • AWS SSO/IAM Identity Center

2. Data Protection

   • KMS and CloudHSM
   • AWS Certificate Manager
   • Secrets Manager
   • AWS Shield and WAF

3. Infrastructure Security

   • VPC Security
   • Network ACLs and Security Groups
   • AWS Network Firewall
   • AWS Security Hub

4. Incident Response

   • CloudWatch
   • CloudTrail
   • AWS Config
   • Amazon Detective

5. Compliance and Audit

   • AWS Audit Manager
   • AWS Control Tower
   • AWS Artifact
   • Amazon Macie

FAQs:

1. How long does it take to prepare?
   With prior AWS experience, expect 2-3 months of dedicated study. Without significant AWS security experience, 4-6 months might be more realistic.

2. What prerequisites are recommended?
   While not mandatory, having an AWS Associate-level certification (particularly Solutions Architect) provides a strong foundation for the security concepts.

3. How is this exam different from Associate-level exams?
   This is a specialty exam focusing deeply on security services and concepts. Questions are typically more scenario-based and require detailed understanding of security implementations.

4. What's the exam format?
   The exam consists of 65 questions to be completed in 170 minutes. Questions are multiple choice and multiple response.

Exam Tips:

1. Focus on understanding security services in-depth, particularly IAM, KMS, and security-related aspects of VPC.

2. Practice with real-world scenarios through AWS workshops and labs.

3. Pay special attention to compliance frameworks and AWS's shared responsibility model.

4. Review AWS security whitepapers and best practices documentation.

5. For non-native English speakers, you can request ESL+30 minutes accommodation through certmetrics.

Additional Resources:

• AWS Security Blog
• AWS Security Documentation
• AWS Security Best Practices
• AWS Security Whitepapers

Note: Keep in mind that AWS regularly updates its services and exam content. Always verify the latest exam guide from the official AWS Certification page before starting your preparation.