Implement and manage security policies, data protection, and compliance requirements (~16% of exam).
Covers implementing and managing IAM policies including policy types (identity-based, resource-based, SCPs), IAM roles, instance profiles, cross-account access, and AWS Organizations. Also covers implementing data protection including encryption at rest (KMS, EBS encryption, S3 encryption), encryption in transit (TLS/SSL, ACM certificates), AWS Secrets Manager, and Systems Manager Parameter Store. Covers compliance and auditing using AWS Config rules, AWS CloudTrail, Amazon Inspector, AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, and AWS Trusted Advisor security checks. Also includes security groups, NACLs, and VPC security best practices.
5 minutes
5 Questions
Security and Compliance in AWS is a fundamental domain for the SysOps Administrator certification, focusing on protecting AWS resources and meeting regulatory requirements. AWS operates on a Shared Responsibility Model where AWS manages security OF the cloud (physical infrastructure, hardware, networking) while customers handle security IN the cloud (data, applications, access management, configurations).
Key security services include AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), which controls user authentication and authorization through users, groups, roles, and policies. IAM policies follow the principle of least privilege, granting only necessary permissions. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra security layer for sensitive operations.
AWS CloudTrail logs all API calls for auditing, while AWS Config tracks resource configurations and compliance status over time. Amazon GuardDuty provides intelligent threat detection by analyzing VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail events, and DNS logs. AWS Security Hub aggregates security findings across services for centralized management.
Encryption is essential for data protection. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) manages encryption keys for services like S3, EBS, and RDS. Data can be encrypted at rest and in transit using SSL/TLS certificates managed through AWS Certificate Manager.
Network security involves Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) with security groups acting as stateful firewalls at the instance level, and Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) providing stateless filtering at the subnet level. AWS WAF protects web applications from common exploits.
Compliance frameworks supported include HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC, GDPR, and FedRAMP. AWS Artifact provides access to compliance reports and agreements. AWS Audit Manager helps automate evidence collection for audits.
SysOps Administrators must implement security best practices including regular patching using AWS Systems Manager, monitoring with CloudWatch alarms, and maintaining proper logging. Understanding these concepts ensures robust security posture while meeting organizational compliance requirements.Security and Compliance in AWS is a fundamental domain for the SysOps Administrator certification, focusing on protecting AWS resources and meeting regulatory requirements. AWS operates on a Shared Responsibility Model where AWS manages security OF the cloud (physical infrastructure, hardware, netw…