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Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.

AWS · professional
AWS CSS
Amazon Web Services Certified Security - Specialty

The AWS Security Specialty is AWS's most demanding security certification and requires solid practical experience with AWS workloads. It covers a broad spectrum: from IAM and data encryption to incident response, logging, and compliance. The practical relevance is high; pure textbook candidates typically fail. The certification has high market value potential, as it is regarded as proof of quality for security architects in cloud environments. Important: Version SCS-C02 was superseded in December 2025; SCS-C03 is now current.

Official page

› Cost

Exam fee
AWS CSS$300
Annual maintenance fee
AWS CSS—
3-year cost of ownership
AWS CSS$300

› Exam mechanics

Pass mark
AWS CSS750/1000 (scaled, ~75%)
Retake policy
AWS CSS$300 fee · 14d wait
Study time
AWS CSS100–200 hrs
Validity
AWS CSS3 yrs
CPE / yr
AWS CSS—
Delivery
AWS CSSmixed

› Salary signal (US base)

Range
AWS CSS$130K – $180K
Median
AWS CSS$150,000
Premium %
AWS CSS—
Role context
AWS CSSCloud security engineer (AWS-focused), US, 3–5 years.

› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)

Schema quality
AWS CSS8.5
Practice evidence
AWS CSS6.0
Maintenance
AWS CSS9.0
Market recognition
AWS CSS8.5
Average
AWS CSS8.0

› Recognition & lifecycle

Recognition
AWS CSSGlobal
ISO 17024 accredited
AWS CSS—
DoD 8140 baseline
AWS CSS—
Holders worldwide
AWS CSS—
Current version
AWS CSSSCS-C02 (2023-07)

› Domain coverage

A25Security Architecture & Engineering
AWS CSS● core
A5Cloud Security
AWS CSS● core

Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.

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