Pass the Microsoft GitHub Administrator GH-500 Questions and answers with Dumpstech

The config-file input is used with the github/codeql-action/init action to specify the path to a custom CodeQL configuration file. This configuration can define additional query packs, custom queries, directories to include or exclude, and other CodeQL analysis settings. GitHub's official workflow documentation shows config-file under the with: section of the CodeQL initialization step. The queries input is used to specify additional query suites or query packs directly, rather than referencing a configuration file. source-root and db-location are not the appropriate init inputs for supplying the configuration-file path. Therefore, when the CodeQL workflow must load settings from a separate YAML configuration file, config-file is the correct parameter.

To exclude .txt and .md files from triggering workflows on pull requests to the main branch:

on: defines the event (e.g., pull_request)

pull_request: is the trigger

paths-ignore: is the key used to ignore file patterns

Example YAML:

yaml

CopyEdit

on:

pull_request:

branches:

- main

paths-ignore:

- '*.md'

- '*.txt'

Using paths: would include only specific files instead — not exclude. paths-ignore: is correct here.

By default , no repositories receive Dependabot alerts unless configuration is explicitly enabled. GitHub does not enable Dependabot alerts automatically for any repositories unless:

The feature is turned on manually

It's configured at the organization or enterprise level via security policies

This includes public, private, and enterprise-owned repositories — manual activation is required .

Secrets committed and then deleted are still accessible in the repository’s Git history . To locate them, navigate to the Commits tab. GitHub's secret scanning can detect secrets in both current and historical commits, which is why remediation should also include revoking the secret , not just removing it from the latest code.

Dependabot alert and advisory details can include a CVE identifier, a GHSA identifier, and associated CWE classifications. CVE provides the standardized identifier for a publicly known vulnerability. GitHub assigns a unique GHSA ID to advisories in the GitHub Advisory Database, while CWE identifies the underlying category or class of software weakness associated with the vulnerability. GitHub's Dependabot alert interface exposes these values when they are available. EPSS is also now surfaced by GitHub and can be used to prioritize alerts, but EPSS is a probability-based exploit-risk score, not one of the three vulnerability identifiers/classifications being tested by this question. SAST describes a security-analysis methodology rather than an advisory classification. Therefore, the intended selections are CVE, GHSA, and CWE: C, D, and E.

GitHub enables the dependency graph by default for public repositories. The graph analyzes supported manifest and lock files and identifies dependencies declared in those files. When a dependency is added or changed in a supported manifest on the repository's default branch, GitHub updates the dependency graph automatically. Private repositories can also use the dependency graph, but the feature must be enabled unless an organization or enterprise configuration enables it automatically. Forking a repository does not itself constitute the dependency declaration that this question describes. Therefore, under default settings, adding a new dependency to a manifest in a public repository is the scenario that causes GitHub's dependency graph to identify and represent that dependency.

When defining a custom pattern for secret scanning, two key fields are required:

Name of the pattern : A unique label to identify the pattern

Secret format : A regular expression that defines what the secret looks like (e.g., token format)

You can optionally specify additional match requirements (like required context keywords), but they’re not mandatory. Listing repositories is also not part of the required fields during pattern creation.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Secret scanning push protection is a proactive feature that scans for secrets in your code during the push process. If a secret is detected, the push is blocked, preventing the secret from being added to the repository. This helps prevent accidental exposure of sensitive information.​

GitHub Docs

The GitHub Code Scanning API includes endpoints that allow you to:

List alerts for a repository (filtered by branch, state, or tool) — useful for monitoring security over time.

Get a single alert by its ID to inspect its metadata, status, and locations in the code.

However, GitHub does not support modifying the severity of alerts via API — severity is defined by the scanning tool (e.g., CodeQL). Likewise, alerts cannot be deleted via the API; they are resolved by fixing the code or dismissing them manually.

A security policy is defined by a SECURITY.md file in the root of your repository or .github/ directory. This file informs contributors and security researchers about how to responsibly report vulnerabilities. It improves your project’s transparency and ensures timely communication and mitigation of any reported issues.

Adding this file also enables a “Report a vulnerability” button in the repository’s Security tab.