SCS-C03 Practice Tests: Updated Questions for AWS Certified Security – Specialty Exam Preparation
Work through updated SCS-C03 practice tests and practice those questions and answers, you can prepare for the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam. We updated the practice tests with 299 Q&As to provide a practical way to evaluate your current knowledge, become familiar with exam-style scenarios, and identify topics that deserve additional study before the exam.
SCS-C02 vs SCS-C03: What Changed?
SCS-C03 reorganizes the exam domains and introduces several new security topics and AWS services. If you previously prepared for SCS-C02, focus on these key changes:
| SCS-C03 Domain | Weight | Key Change |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | 16% | Reorganized from previous detection/logging content |
| Incident Response | 14% | Now a separate domain |
| Identity and Access Management | 20% | Increased from 16% |
| Infrastructure Security | 18% | Decreased from 20% |
| Data Protection | 18% | Remains at 18% |
| Security Foundations and Governance | 14% | Reorganized governance content |
New Areas to Review
SCS-C03 also places more attention on newer technologies and security scenarios, including:
- Generative AI security guardrails
- OCSF integrations
- Sensitive-data masking
- Inter-resource encryption
- Multi-Region key and certificate management
- Imported vs. AWS-generated key material
- Services such as Amazon EKS, SageMaker AI, CloudWatch Logs, Amazon SNS, AWS KMS, and AWS Private CA
If you studied for SCS-C02, don’t simply reuse your old preparation materials. Map your notes and practice questions to the new SCS-C03 domains and give extra attention to newly added or expanded topics.
Why Use SCS-C03 Practice Tests for Exam Preparation?
The updated SCS-C03 practice tests help turn theoretical study into active learning. After reviewing a security topic, answering related questions can show whether you understand how that knowledge may be applied in an AWS environment.
SCS-C03 practice tests can be particularly useful for evaluating your ability to interpret requirements, compare possible solutions, and recognize important details within longer security scenarios. They can also help you become more comfortable moving between different AWS security concepts instead of studying each topic in isolation.
Regular practice can help you:
- Check your understanding of important SCS-C03 concepts.
- Identify weaker areas that require additional review.
- Become familiar with scenario-based questions.
- Practice distinguishing between similar AWS services and security approaches.
- Track your progress as the exam date approaches.
The goal is not simply to complete as many questions as possible. Each practice session should help reveal what you understand and what you still need to learn.
Try 5 Free Demo Questions
Question 1
A company hosts its public website on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The website is experiencing a global DDoS attack by a specific IoT device brand that has a unique user agent.
A security engineer is creating an AWS WAF web ACL and will associate the web ACL with the ALB. The security engineer must implement a rule statement as part of the web ACL to block the requests. The rule statement must mitigate the current attack and future attacks from these IoT devices without blocking requests from customers.
Which rule statement will meet these requirements?
A. Use an IP set match rule statement that includes the IP address for IoT devices from the user agent.
B. Use a geographic match rule statement. Configure the statement to block countries that the IoT devices are located in.
C. Use a rate-based rule statement. Set a rate limit that is equal to the number of requests that are coming from the IoT devices.
D. Use a string match rule statement that includes details of the IoT device brand from the user agent.
Answer: D
Explanation:
AWS WAF allows security engineers to createstring match rule statementsthat inspect specific parts of web requests, including HTTP headers such as the User-Agentheader. According to the AWS Certified Security – Specialty Study Guide and AWS WAF documentation, string match rules are ideal for blocking requests that contain known malicious identifiers, such as a distinctive user agent associated with a specific bot or IoT device brand.
In this scenario, the attack originates from a specific IoT device brand that uses aunique user agent. A string match rule that inspects the User-Agent header can precisely block malicious requests while allowing legitimate customer traffic to continue uninterrupted. This approach provides targeted mitigation for both current and future attacks originating from the same device signature.
Option A is incorrect because IP addresses cannot be derived from user agent strings, and IoT botnets frequently rotate IP addresses, making IP-based blocking ineffective.
Option B is incorrect because geographic blocking is overly broad and risks blocking legitimate customers in the same regions as the attacking devices.
Option C is incorrect because rate-based rules limit request volume per IP address and do not specifically identify malicious device signatures; legitimate high-traffic users could be unintentionally blocked.
AWS documentation emphasizes that header inspection with string match conditions is a best practice for mitigating attacks that use identifiable request characteristics such as custom user agents, especially in DDoS and bot mitigation scenarios.
Question 2
A company runs an application on a fleet of Amazon EC2 instances. The company can remove instances from the fleet without risk to the application. All EC2 instances use the same security group named ProdFleet. Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Config are active in the company’s AWS account.
A security engineer needs to provide a solution that will prevent an EC2 instance from sending outbound traffic if GuardDuty generates a cryptocurrency finding event. The security engineer creates a new security group named Isolate that contains no outbound rules. The security engineer configures an AWS Lambda function to remove an EC2 instance from the ProdFleet security group and add it to the Isolate security group.
Which additional step will meet this requirement?
A. Configure GuardDuty to directly invoke the Lambda function if GuardDuty generates a CryptoCurrency: EC2/ finding event.
B. Configure an AWS Config rule that invokes the Lambda function if a CryptoCurrency: EC2/ configuration change event occurs for an EC2 instance.
C. Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that invokes the Lambda function if GuardDuty generates a CryptoCurrency: EC2/ finding event.
D. Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that invokes the Lambda function if AWS Config detects a CryptoCurrency: EC2/ configuration change event for an EC2 instance.
Answer: C
Explanation:
Amazon GuardDuty generates security findings when it detects suspicious or malicious activity, includingCryptoCurrency: EC2/ findings that indicate an EC2 instance may be involved in unauthorized cryptocurrency mining. According to AWS Certified Security – Specialty documentation, GuardDuty findings are published as events toAmazon EventBridge(formerly Amazon CloudWatch Events).
Amazon EventBridge is the recommended service for buildingautomated incident response workflows. By creating an EventBridge rule that listens for GuardDuty findings of type CryptoCurrency: EC2/, the security engineer can automatically invoke a Lambda function to isolate the affected EC2 instance by modifying its security group attachments.
Option A is incorrect because GuardDuty does not directly invoke Lambda functions.
Option B and Option D are incorrect because AWS Config tracks configuration compliance and resource changes, not real-time threat detection events. Cryptocurrency findings are security detections, not configuration changes.
AWS documentation explicitly describes this pattern—GuardDuty → EventBridge → Lambda → remediation action—as a best practice for automated threat response and containment.
Question 3
A security engineer for a company is investigating suspicious traffic on a web application in the AWS Cloud. The web application is protected by an Application Load Balancer (ALB) behind an Amazon CloudFront distribution. There is an AWS WAF web ACL associated with the ALB. The company stores AWS WAF logs in an Amazon S3 bucket.
The engineer notices that all incoming requests in the AWS WAF logs originate from a small number of IP addresses that correspond to CloudFront edge locations. The security engineer must identify the source IP addresses of the clients that are initiating the suspicious requests.
Which solution will meet this requirement?
A. Enable VPC Flow Logs in the VPC where the ALB is deployed. Examine the source field to capture the client IP addresses.
B. Inspect the X-Forwarded-For header in the AWS WAF logs to determine the original client IP addresses.
C. Modify the CloudFront distribution to disable ALB connection reuse. Examine the clientIp field in the AWS WAF logs to identify the original client IP addresses.
D. Configure CloudFront to add a custom header named Client-IP to origin requests that are sent to the ALB.
Answer: B
Explanation:
When Amazon CloudFront is used in front of an Application Load Balancer, CloudFront becomes the immediate source of incoming requests to the ALB. As a result, AWS WAF logs record the CloudFront edge location IP addresses as the client IPs, not the original viewer IP addresses. This behavior is explicitly documented in the AWS Certified Security – Specialty Study Guide and the AWS WAF and CloudFront integration documentation.
To preserve the original client IP address, CloudFront automatically adds the X-Forwarded-For HTTP header, which contains the IP address of the originating client followed by any proxy addresses involved in forwarding the request. AWS WAF logs include this header, making it the authoritative source for identifying true client IP addresses when CloudFront is used.
Option A is incorrect because VPC Flow Logs capture network-level metadata and will only show CloudFront IP addresses, not the original client IPs.
Option C is incorrect because disabling connection reuse does not change how client IPs are logged in AWS WAF.
Option D is unnecessary and unsupported as a requirement because CloudFront already provides the required information through standard headers.
AWS documentation consistently states that X-Forwarded-Foris the correct and supported mechanism for tracing client IPs in CloudFront-protected applications.
Question 4
A company’s security engineer receives an alert that indicates that an unexpected principal is accessing a company-owned Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS) queue. All the company’s accounts are within an organization in AWS Organizations. The security engineer must implement a mitigation solution that minimizes compliance violations and investment in tools that are outside of AWS.
What should the security engineer do to meet these requirements?
A. Create security groups that only accept inbound traffic from the CIDR blocks of all the VPCs in the organization. Attach the security groups to all the SQS queues in all the VPCs in the organization.
B. In all the VPCs in the organization, adjust the network ACLs to only accept inbound traffic from the CIDR blocks of all the VPCs in the organization. Attach the network ACLs to all the subnets in all the VPCs in the organization.
C. Create interface VPC endpoints for Amazon SQS in all the VPCs in the organization. Set the aws: SourceVpce condition to the VPC endpoint identifier on the SQS policy. Add the aws: PrincipalOrgId condition to the VPC endpoint policy.
D. Use a cloud access security broker (CASB) to maintain a list of managed resources.
Configure the CASB to check the API and console access against that list on a web proxy.
Answer: C
Explanation:
Amazon SQS is an AWS-managed service and does not operate within customer VPCs. Therefore, security groups and network ACLs cannot be used to control access to SQS, making options A and B invalid. According to AWS Certified Security – Specialty documentation, the recommended approach to securely access AWS services from within a VPC is throughinterface VPC endpoints (AWS PrivateLink).
By creatinginterface VPC endpoints for Amazon SQS, the company ensures that traffic to SQS stays within the AWS network and does not traverse the public internet. Adding an SQS resource policywith the aws: SourceVpce condition restricts access so that only requests originating from the specified VPC endpoint are allowed. Additionally, using the aws: PrincipalOrgId condition ensures that only principals belonging to the same AWS Organization can access the queue.
Option D introduces an external tool, increasing cost and compliance complexity, which directly violates the requirement to minimize investment outside AWS.
AWS documentation clearly identifies VPC endpoints combined with IAM condition keysas a best practice for securing service access in multi-account environments.
Question 5
A company runs workloads in an AWS account. A security engineer observes some unusual findings in Amazon Guard Duty. The security engineer wants to investigate a specific IAM role and generate an investigation report. The report must contain details about anomalous behavior and any indicators of compromise.
Which solution will meet these requirements?
A. Use Amazon Detective to perform an investigation on the IAM role.
B. Use AWS Audit Manager to create an assessment. Specify the IAM role. Run an assessment report.
C. Use Amazon Inspector to create an assessment. Specify the IAM role. Run an assessment report.
D. Use Amazon Inspector to run an on-demand scan of the IAM role.
Answer: A
Explanation:
Amazon Detective is a purpose-built AWS service designed to analyze, investigate, and visualize security data to help identify the root cause of suspicious or malicious activity. According to the AWS Certified Security – Specialty Official Study Guide, Amazon Detective directly integrates with Amazon GuardDuty findings, AWS CloudTrail logs, Amazon VPC Flow Logs, and Amazon EKS audit logs to automatically create behavior graphs and timelines.
When GuardDuty generates findings related to anomalous activity, Amazon Detective enables security engineers to pivot directly to an investigation focused on a specific IAM role, user, or resource. Detective automatically correlates historical activity, identifies deviations from baseline behavior, and highlights indicators of compromise, such as unusual API calls, credential misuse, or suspicious network activity.
AWS Audit Manager (Option B) is designed for compliance and audit evidence collection, not threat investigation. Amazon Inspector (Options C and D) is focused on vulnerability scanning of compute resources and does not analyze IAM behavior or GuardDuty findings. AWS documentation explicitly states that Amazon Detective is the recommended service for deep-dive investigations following GuardDuty alerts, providing enriched context and investigation reports for security incidents.
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Frequently Asked Questions About SCS-C03 Practice Tests
What are SCS-C03 practice tests?
SCS-C03 practice tests are preparation resources containing questions designed to help candidates review concepts associated with the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam. They can be used to evaluate knowledge, identify weak areas, and become more familiar with scenario-based assessment.
How can SCS-C03 practice tests help with preparation?
SCS-C03 practice tests provide a way to check whether you can apply what you have studied. They can highlight topics that need additional attention and help you develop a more focused revision plan.
How often should I take SCS-C03 practice tests?
Short practice sessions can be used throughout your preparation. As the exam approaches, broader mixed-topic tests can help you assess your overall understanding and determine which areas require final revision.
What should I do when I answer an SCS-C03 question incorrectly?
Review the concept behind the question rather than simply memorizing the correct answer. Determine why your original choice was incorrect, compare the available options, and use AWS documentation or hands-on exercises to strengthen your understanding.

