AWS Security Principles

AWS Security Principles Assessment Test: How it is structured and how it can help you hire your best candidate

One of the important foundations of any cloud-based technology is its security. Using our AWS security principles assessment test will help you screen your candidate’s skills on security.

The assessment test was prepared in a way that you can assess any candidate’s knowledge on the subject matter of AWS security. With the growing adoption of cloud-based technologies and company roles that specialize in security, you can make an informed hiring decision when it comes to hiring anyone that will have the potential to partake in a critical role in AWS security.

Which use cases are a good match for this test? / How can users use the test?

Plans for every AWS deployment have to be placed within the context of security. No matter what the job role or primary skillset is, if what you require from a candidate touches the cloud, then they must incorporate security best practices. And to do that, they must have an understanding of security best practices.

The results of this test will tell you whether or not a candidate is familiar with the ways AWS expects its resources to be used safely and with the tools available for developers, admins, and data professionals to do their jobs securely.

Which areas (chapters) will be covered in the test, and why was it chosen that way?

IAM users, groups, roles, policies
On AWS, the critical rule of IT security - the principle of least privilege - is largely implemented through IAM. Knowing how to delegate effectively authority and access requires a working knowledge of users, groups, roles, and policies.

Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Design
Key AWS compute (EC2) and database (RDS) resources are placed within virtual networks (VPCs). Access to those networks can be controlled through security groups and/or ACLs. Running any kind of computer or database workload without understanding how to properly configure those firewall tools is, well, plain crazy.

Monitoring and Logging
Automating the processing of log files can be used to configure alerts on the detection of unexpected behavior. Knowing how to create and consume those alerts is a necessary security tool.

Encryption Key Management
Encrypting your data both at rest and in transit is a required component of cloud computing. AWS offers management tools for KMS keys, SSH keypairs, and remote access keys.

Authentication
It’s important for larger organizations to understand how to integrate their local authentication systems (LDAP, Active Directory) with their cloud-based applications.