🔒 GitHub Advanced Security Certification Guide (GH-500) - Complete Prep

Introduction

Welcome to Part 5 of the GitHub Certification Journey! 🛡️

After mastering GitHub Foundations (GH-900), GitHub Administration (GH-100), GitHub Actions (GH-200), and GitHub Copilot (GH-300), you’re ready to dive deep into GitHub Advanced Security - the comprehensive security platform that transforms how teams identify, manage, and remediate vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle. The GH-500 GitHub Advanced Security certification validates your ability to implement, configure, and manage enterprise-grade security practices.

This comprehensive guide provides everything needed to pass the GH-500 exam and become a GitHub security expert. Whether you’re a security engineer, DevSecOps specialist, or developer looking to enhance security practices, this preparation roadmap will take you from basic security awareness to advanced enterprise security management.

Certification Overview

About GH-500 GitHub Advanced Security

• Certification Name: GitHub Advanced Security
• Exam Code: GH-500
• Duration: 150 minutes
• Question Count: ~75 questions
• Passing Score: 700/1000 (approximately 70%)
• Cost: $99 USD
• Validity: 3 years from certification date
• Prerequisites: GitHub Foundations (GH-900), GitHub Administration (GH-100), GitHub Actions (GH-200), and GitHub Copilot (GH-300) recommended

Who Should Take This Exam

• Security engineers implementing DevSecOps practices
• DevSecOps specialists securing CI/CD pipelines
• Compliance officers ensuring regulatory adherence
• Security architects designing secure development workflows
• Platform engineering teams implementing security automation
• Technical leads responsible for application security

Exam Domains Breakdown

The GH-500 exam covers five main domains with specific weightings:

Domain 1: Describe GHAS Security Features and Functionality (15%)

Core Competencies:

• Understanding GitHub Advanced Security feature set
• Contrasting open source vs GHAS premium features
• Explaining Security Overview dashboard capabilities
• Identifying vulnerability detection mechanisms
• Describing SDLC integration points

Key Skills:

• GHAS feature differentiation and licensing
• Security Overview navigation and interpretation
• Vulnerability lifecycle management
• Developer workflow integration
• Access control and permissions management

Domain 2: Configure and Use Secret Scanning (15%)

Core Competencies:

• Configuring secret scanning for repositories
• Managing push protection policies
• Implementing custom secret patterns
• Handling secret scanning alerts
• Understanding validity checks and partner patterns

Key Skills:

• Secret pattern recognition and configuration
• Push protection implementation
• Alert triage and remediation workflows
• Custom pattern development
• Third-party integrations and notifications

Domain 3: Configure and Use Dependabot and Dependency Review (35%)

Core Competencies:

• Understanding dependency graph functionality
• Configuring Dependabot alerts and security updates
• Implementing Dependency Review for pull requests
• Managing vulnerability remediation workflows
• Generating and interpreting SBOMs

Key Skills:

• Dependency vulnerability identification
• Automated security update configuration
• License compliance monitoring
• SBOM generation and analysis
• Vulnerability assessment and prioritisation

Domain 4: Configure and Use Code Scanning with CodeQL (25%)

Core Competencies:

• Setting up CodeQL code scanning workflows
• Understanding SARIF report formats
• Implementing third-party analysis tools
• Managing code scanning alerts and remediation
• Configuring advanced CodeQL queries

Key Skills:

• CodeQL workflow configuration and optimisation
• SARIF result interpretation and management
• Custom query development
• Integration with third-party security tools
• Alert filtering and baseline management

Domain 5: Describe GHAS Best Practices and Corrective Measures (10%)

Core Competencies:

• Implementing security policy governance
• Establishing vulnerability management processes
• Configuring organisation-wide security policies
• Monitoring security metrics and compliance
• Training development teams on secure practices

Key Skills:

• Security governance framework implementation
• Compliance reporting and audit trails
• Team training and awareness programs
• Security metrics analysis
• Continuous improvement processes

Complete Study Plan

Phase 1: Security Foundation Building (Weeks 1-2)

Week 1: GHAS Overview and Setup

• Understand GitHub Advanced Security licensing and features
• Explore Security Overview dashboard capabilities
• Learn about vulnerability detection mechanisms
• Practice with GHAS feature activation

Daily Tasks:

1. Explore Security Overview for different repository types
2. Compare open source vs GHAS premium features
3. Practice enabling GHAS features across organisations
4. Review security policies and access controls

Hands-On Labs:

# Enable GHAS features via GitHub API
curl -X PATCH \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO \
  -d '{
    "security_and_analysis": {
      "advanced_security": {"status": "enabled"},
      "secret_scanning": {"status": "enabled"},
      "secret_scanning_push_protection": {"status": "enabled"}
    }
  }'

Week 2: Security Dashboard Mastery

• Navigate Security Overview for enterprise insights
• Understand vulnerability aggregation and reporting
• Practice with security metrics and KPIs
• Learn about compliance and audit capabilities

Practice Projects:

• Set up organisation-wide security monitoring
• Create security dashboards for different teams
• Implement security policy templates
• Configure notification and escalation workflows

Phase 2: Secret and Dependency Security (Weeks 3-4)

Week 3: Secret Scanning Implementation

• Configure secret scanning for various repository types
• Implement push protection across organisations
• Create custom secret patterns for proprietary systems
• Practice secret remediation workflows

Advanced Configuration:

# .github/secret_scanning.yml
# Custom secret scanning configuration
paths-ignore:
  - "docs/**"
  - "test/**/*.md"
  
# Custom pattern example (organisation level)
name: "Custom API Key Pattern"
type: "custom"
regex: "my-api-[a-zA-Z0-9]{32}"
secret_type: "my_custom_api_key"

Week 4: Dependency Security Mastery

• Master Dependabot configuration and automation
• Implement Dependency Review for pull request workflows
• Practice with SBOM generation and analysis
• Learn advanced vulnerability assessment techniques

Dependency Configuration Labs:

# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
      day: "monday"
      time: "09:00"
    assignees:
      - "security-team"
    reviewers:
      - "platform-team"
    commit-message:
      prefix: "security"
      prefix-development: "dev-deps"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 5
    ignore:
      - dependency-name: "express"
        versions: ["4.x", "5.x"]

Phase 3: Code Scanning Excellence (Weeks 5-6)

Week 5: CodeQL Implementation

• Set up CodeQL workflows for multiple languages
• Understand SARIF report structure and analysis
• Implement custom CodeQL queries
• Practice with baseline management and alert triage

CodeQL Workflow Setup:

name: "CodeQL Advanced Analysis"

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * 1'  # Weekly Monday 2 AM

jobs:
  analyze:
    name: Analyze
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      actions: read
      contents: read
      security-events: write

    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        language: ['javascript', 'python', 'java']

    steps:
    - name: Checkout repository
      uses: actions/checkout@v4

    - name: Initialize CodeQL
      uses: github/codeql-action/init@v3
      with:
        languages: ${{ matrix.language }}
        config-file: ./.github/codeql/codeql-config.yml
        
    - name: Autobuild
      uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@v3

    - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
      uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v3
      with:
        category: "/language:${{matrix.language}}"

Week 6: Third-Party Integration

• Integrate third-party security scanning tools
• Understand SARIF upload mechanisms
• Practice with multiple security tool orchestration
• Learn about security tool consolidation strategies

Third-Party Integration Examples:

# SARIF upload from third-party tools
- name: Upload SARIF file
  uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v3
  with:
    sarif_file: results.sarif
    category: "third-party-security-scanner"

Phase 4: Enterprise Security Governance (Weeks 7-8)

Week 7: Policy Implementation

• Configure organisation-wide security policies
• Implement branch protection with security requirements
• Set up compliance reporting and audit trails
• Practice with security policy enforcement

Enterprise Policy Configuration:

# Organisation security policy template
# Branch protection with security requirements
{
  "required_status_checks": {
    "strict": true,
    "contexts": [
      "CodeQL",
      "Dependency Review",
      "Secret Scanning"
    ]
  },
  "enforce_admins": true,
  "required_pull_request_reviews": {
    "required_approving_review_count": 2,
    "dismiss_stale_reviews": true,
    "require_code_owner_reviews": true
  },
  "restrictions": null,
  "allow_force_pushes": false,
  "allow_deletions": false
}

Week 8: Monitoring and Metrics

• Implement security metrics dashboards
• Set up alerting and notification systems
• Practice with compliance reporting
• Learn about continuous security improvement

Security Metrics Tracking:

# Security metrics collection script
import requests
import json
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def get_security_metrics(org, token):
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'token {token}',
        'Accept': 'application/vnd.github.v3+json'
    }
    
    # Get secret scanning alerts
    secret_alerts = requests.get(
        f'https://api.github.com/orgs/{org}/secret-scanning/alerts',
        headers=headers
    ).json()
    
    # Get dependency alerts
    repos = requests.get(
        f'https://api.github.com/orgs/{org}/repos',
        headers=headers
    ).json()
    
    total_repos = len(repos)
    enabled_repos = sum(1 for repo in repos 
                       if repo.get('security_and_analysis', {})
                       .get('advanced_security', {})
                       .get('status') == 'enabled')
    
    return {
        'total_repositories': total_repos,
        'ghas_enabled_repositories': enabled_repos,
        'secret_scanning_alerts': len(secret_alerts),
        'coverage_percentage': (enabled_repos / total_repos) * 100
    }

Hands-On Laboratory Exercises

Lab 1: Enterprise Secret Scanning Implementation

Implement comprehensive secret scanning across an organisation with custom patterns and remediation workflows.

Objectives:

• Configure organisation-wide secret scanning
• Implement custom secret patterns
• Set up automated remediation workflows
• Create security incident response procedures

Implementation Steps:

1. Enable Secret Scanning Organisation-Wide:

#!/bin/bash
# Enable secret scanning for all repositories in organisation

ORG="your-organisation"
TOKEN="your-github-token"

# Get all repositories
repos=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
  "https://api.github.com/orgs/$ORG/repos?per_page=100" | \
  jq -r '.[].name')

# Enable secret scanning for each repository
for repo in $repos; do
  echo "Enabling secret scanning for $repo"
  curl -X PATCH \
    -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
    -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
    "https://api.github.com/repos/$ORG/$repo" \
    -d '{
      "security_and_analysis": {
        "secret_scanning": {"status": "enabled"},
        "secret_scanning_push_protection": {"status": "enabled"}
      }
    }'
done

1. Custom Secret Pattern Configuration:

{
  "name": "Internal API Key Pattern",
  "description": "Detects internal API keys for proprietary systems",
  "secret_type": "internal_api_key",
  "regex": "(?i)internal[_-]?api[_-]?key[\"']?\\s*[:=]\\s*[\"']?([a-z0-9]{40})[\"']?",
  "test_cases": [
    {
      "text": "internal_api_key = \"a1b2c3d4e5f6789012345678901234567890abcd\"",
      "should_match": true
    }
  ]
}

Lab 2: Advanced Dependency Security Pipeline

Create a comprehensive dependency security pipeline with automated remediation and compliance reporting.

Objectives:

• Implement advanced Dependabot configuration
• Set up dependency review automation
• Create SBOM generation workflows
• Build compliance reporting dashboards

Advanced Dependabot Configuration:

# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
registries:
  private-npm:
    type: npm-registry
    url: https://npm.internal.company.com
    token: ${{secrets.NPM_PRIVATE_TOKEN}}

updates:
  # Production dependencies
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "daily"
      time: "02:00"
    assignees:
      - "security-team"
      - "platform-team"
    reviewers:
      - "security-lead"
    commit-message:
      prefix: "security(deps)"
    allow:
      - dependency-type: "direct"
      - dependency-type: "indirect"
    ignore:
      - dependency-name: "*"
        update-types: ["version-update:semver-major"]
    open-pull-requests-limit: 10
    registries:
      - private-npm

  # Development dependencies  
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    target-branch: "develop"
    allow:
      - dependency-type: "development"
    commit-message:
      prefix: "dev-deps"

SBOM Generation Workflow:

name: Generate SBOM and Security Report

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 6 * * *'  # Daily at 6 AM

jobs:
  generate-sbom:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      security-events: write
      
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    
    - name: Generate SBOM
      uses: anchore/sbom-action@v0
      with:
        path: ./
        format: spdx-json
        
    - name: Upload SBOM
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: sbom
        path: ./*.spdx.json
        
    - name: Dependency Review
      uses: actions/dependency-review-action@v4
      with:
        fail-on-severity: high
        allow-licenses: MIT, Apache-2.0, BSD-3-Clause

Lab 3: CodeQL Custom Query Development

Develop custom CodeQL queries for organisation-specific security requirements.

Objectives:

• Create custom CodeQL queries for specific vulnerabilities
• Implement query testing and validation
• Set up custom query distribution
• Build security query governance

Custom CodeQL Query Example:

/**
 * @name Hardcoded API endpoints
 * @description Finds hardcoded API endpoints that might expose sensitive services
 * @kind problem
 * @problem.severity warning
 * @precision medium
 * @id custom/hardcoded-api-endpoints
 * @tags security
 *       external/cwe/cwe-200
 */

import javascript

from StringLiteral str
where str.getValue().regexpMatch("https?://[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\\.(internal|corp|local)/.*")
   or str.getValue().regexpMatch("https?://.*(api|service)\\.(internal|corp|local).*")
select str, "Hardcoded internal API endpoint found: " + str.getValue()

CodeQL Configuration File:

# .github/codeql/codeql-config.yml
name: "Custom CodeQL Configuration"

queries:
  - uses: security-extended
  - uses: ./.github/codeql/custom-queries/

paths-ignore:
  - "test/**"
  - "docs/**"
  - "**/*.md"

paths:
  - "src/**"
  - "lib/**"

Enterprise Security Best Practices

Security Policy Framework

1. Repository Security Standards:

# Security policy template
security_requirements:
  code_scanning:
    required: true
    tools: ["CodeQL", "SonarCloud"]
    frequency: "on_push"
    
  secret_scanning:
    enabled: true
    push_protection: true
    custom_patterns: true
    
  dependency_scanning:
    dependabot_enabled: true
    security_updates: true
    vulnerability_threshold: "high"
    
  branch_protection:
    required_reviews: 2
    dismiss_stale_reviews: true
    require_code_owner_reviews: true
    required_status_checks:
      - "CodeQL"
      - "Dependency Review"

2. Incident Response Procedures:

# Security incident response workflow
incident_response:
  critical_vulnerabilities:
    response_time: "2 hours"
    escalation: ["security-team", "platform-team"]
    actions:
      - immediate_assessment
      - impact_analysis
      - remediation_planning
      - stakeholder_notification
      
  secret_exposure:
    response_time: "30 minutes"
    actions:
      - revoke_exposed_secrets
      - assess_potential_impact
      - implement_new_credentials
      - audit_access_logs

Compliance and Audit Framework

Security Metrics Dashboard:

# Security compliance reporting
class SecurityComplianceReporter:
    def __init__(self, github_client):
        self.client = github_client
        
    def generate_compliance_report(self, org):
        report = {
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
            'organisation': org,
            'metrics': {}
        }
        
        # GHAS adoption metrics
        repos = self.client.get_org_repos(org)
        total_repos = len(repos)
        ghas_enabled = sum(1 for r in repos if r.advanced_security_enabled)
        
        report['metrics']['ghas_adoption'] = {
            'total_repositories': total_repos,
            'ghas_enabled': ghas_enabled,
            'adoption_percentage': (ghas_enabled / total_repos) * 100
        }
        
        # Vulnerability metrics
        vulnerabilities = self.get_vulnerability_summary(org)
        report['metrics']['vulnerabilities'] = vulnerabilities
        
        return report

Exam Tips and Strategies

Technical Preparation Focus Areas

Secret Scanning Mastery:

• Custom pattern development and testing
• Push protection configuration and bypasses
• Alert triage and remediation workflows
• Third-party integration and notifications
• Compliance reporting and audit trails

Dependency Security Expertise:

• Dependabot configuration optimisation
• License compliance monitoring
• SBOM generation and analysis
• Vulnerability assessment and prioritisation
• Automated remediation workflows

Code Scanning Proficiency:

• CodeQL workflow optimisation
• Custom query development and testing
• SARIF report analysis and management
• Third-party tool integration
• Baseline management and alert filtering

Exam Day Strategy

Time Management:

• Allocate 2 minutes per question average
• Focus on scenarios requiring practical knowledge
• Use flag feature for complex questions
• Reserve time for final review

Question Approach:

1. Identify the security domain being tested
2. Consider enterprise vs repository-level implications
3. Evaluate compliance and governance aspects
4. Apply hands-on configuration knowledge
5. Select the most secure and scalable solution

Common Exam Topics:

• Configuration file syntax and structure
• API integration and automation
• Workflow integration and dependencies
• Enterprise policy implementation
• Compliance and reporting requirements

Official Study Resources

GitHub Documentation

• GitHub Advanced Security Documentation
• Secret Scanning Guide
• Dependabot Documentation
• Code Scanning with CodeQL

Microsoft Learn Paths

• Secure your repository’s supply chain
• Configure Dependabot security updates
• Secure code with CodeQL

Practice Platforms

• GitHub Security Lab
• CodeQL Query Console
• GitHub Skills - Secure Code Game

Additional Practice Resources

Security Communities

• GitHub Security Advisories
• CodeQL Community Queries
• Security Best Practices

Hands-On Practice

• Set up GHAS in personal/test organisations
• Contribute to open-source security projects
• Practice with vulnerable code repositories
• Build custom security automation workflows

Final Preparation Checklist

Technical Skills Validation

• Can configure GHAS features across organisations
• Understand secret scanning patterns and remediation
• Master Dependabot configuration and automation
• Know CodeQL workflow setup and customisation
• Can create custom CodeQL queries
• Understand SARIF format and third-party integrations
• Know enterprise security policy implementation
• Can set up compliance monitoring and reporting
• Understand vulnerability lifecycle management
• Know security incident response procedures
• Can implement security automation workflows
• Understand licensing and cost implications

Exam Readiness Assessment

• Completed all study plan phases
• Finished hands-on security laboratories
• Practiced with enterprise scenarios
• Reviewed official documentation thoroughly
• Taken practice assessments consistently
• Confident in all security domains
• Registered for exam date
• Prepared exam day logistics

Next Steps in Your Journey

After achieving GH-500 certification, consider these advanced paths:

Advanced Certifications

• GitHub Administration (GH-100): Enterprise administration and governance
• GitHub Enterprise Consulting: Partner program certification
• Security Specialisation: Advanced security consulting roles

Career Advancement

• Security Architect: Design enterprise security frameworks
• DevSecOps Lead: Implement organisation-wide security practices
• Compliance Manager: Ensure regulatory and audit compliance
• Security Consultant: Provide GitHub security expertise to enterprises

Conclusion

The GH-500 GitHub Advanced Security certification validates your expertise in implementing enterprise-grade security practices and positions you as a crucial contributor to any organisation’s security posture. By following this comprehensive study guide, completing the hands-on security laboratories, and practising with real-world scenarios, you’ll be well-prepared to pass the exam and excel in your security career.

Remember that security is an evolving landscape, so continue learning about new threats, vulnerabilities, and security practices. The skills you develop preparing for this certification will serve you throughout your career in cybersecurity and DevSecOps.

Ready to secure everything? 🔒

Start your GitHub Advanced Security mastery journey today, and join the ranks of certified security professionals who are protecting organisations and their software supply chains worldwide.

This guide is part of the GitHub Certification Journey series. Previous: GitHub Actions (GH-200) | Next: GitHub Administration (GH-100) - Coming Soon

Have questions about GitHub Advanced Security certification? Connect with me on LinkedIn or GitHub for guidance and support.