Hello readers, Good day!
In this post, I’m excited to share my journey of preparing for and earning the GitHub Advanced Security certification, which I completed a few months ago. Before diving into the details, let me explain why I chose this certification over the other five options available at the time.
As a cloud platform engineer, I frequently work with GitHub, primarily focusing on administration and CI/CD workflows. Pursuing this certification presented the perfect opportunity to deepen my knowledge of GitHub's advanced security features while validating my skills with an industry-recognized credential—achieving two goals with one effort.
What is GitHub Advanced Security? 🏆🏆
It’s hard to imagine anyone involved in software engineering or coding today who isn’t familiar with GitHub. Over the years, GitHub has evolved far beyond its origins as a hosted Git service. It’s now a robust and comprehensive platform for the entire software development lifecycle.
GitHub provides several features to help teams improve and maintain the quality and security of their code. Some of these, like the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts, are available across all plans. However, advanced security features require a GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) license, with the exception of public repositories on GitHub.com, where these features are available by default.
GHAS focuses on empowering developers to proactively identify and address vulnerabilities directly in their workflows. The key features include:
- Dependabot: Automates dependency updates and flags vulnerabilities in your software supply chain.
- Secret Scanning: Detects exposed secrets like API keys or credentials in your code, helping to prevent unauthorized access.
- Code Scanning (including CodeQL): Analyzes your code for vulnerabilities and potential issues, enabling you to fix them before they are exploited.
GHAS integrates seamlessly into existing CI/CD pipelines, making it an invaluable tool for teams aiming to build secure and resilient software.
What is the content of the exam 🧶🧶
GHAS is designed for bit experienced professionals in software engineering/development and security. having hands-on experience in GitHub and basic software security will elevate you to pass the exam.
Following is the domain breakdown.
Exam questions will be deeply asked around the following GHAS features.
- Dependency Graph
- Dependabot
- Dependency Review
- Secret Scanning
- Code Scanning
- CodeQL
- Security Advisories
- GH Security policy
- Supply Chain Security
How did I prepare for the exam 🐱👤🐱👤
Go through the Study Guide
GitHub provides study guides for each of the exams. these will provide us with overall information about the examination and domains we need to study. find the study guide here
Followed the Learning Path:
Microsft Learn learning path for GitHub Advanced Security provides modularized content to follow. Each learning module covers each GHAS feature and provides extra learning. Microsoft Learning Path
Looked into GitHub Docs
GitHub documentation about GHAS provides Zero-to-Hero knowledge. It offers comprehensive, up-to-date, and in-depth knowledge of all the features you need to focus on for the exam. It takes you from a beginner level to an advanced understanding of the topics.
You don’t need to read every single detail right away. Instead, start by familiarizing yourself with the overall exam content and structure. Once you have a clear idea of the key topics, dive into the documentation sections that align with those areas. This targeted approach will save time and ensure you focus on the most relevant material for the certification. here is the link
Practice Questions
GHCertified was an invaluable resource during my preparation, offering a wide range of practice questions specifically tailored for GHAS. In addition to GHAS, it provides practice questions for all other GitHub certifications, making it a versatile platform for exam preparation.
It’s important to note that these questions are community-driven, so they may not directly mirror the ones you’ll encounter in the actual exam. From my experience, while the questions weren’t identical, they were incredibly helpful in reinforcing key concepts and preparing me for the exam’s structure and content. I highly recommend using this resource to build your confidence and solidify your understanding of the material.
An Extra Mile 🚗🚗
YouTube Crash Course:
If you are into video tutorials here is a good overall crash course on GHAS by freeCodeCamp
Try GitHub Enterprise with GHAS:
Setting up a trial of GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) is an excellent way to gain hands-on experience with all the security features GitHub offers. By enabling GitHub Enterprise for your organization and activating the free GHAS trial, you can explore these features in-depth and practice using them in a real-world environment.
This approach was particularly helpful for me in understanding core concepts like code scanning and CodeQL. The hands-on experience not only reinforced my learning. Highly recommend taking advantage of it.
While my approach looks structured, it took me almost a month and a half to prepare and feel confident for the exam. Remember, everyone’s journey is unique, so take the time you need to fully grasp the material. I wish you Good Luck with your GitHub Certification Journey!
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