WMI Error When Using Nessus for Compliance Checking

Patt Nelson 0 Reputation points
2025-02-04T22:39:02.3066667+00:00

Powershell cannot display correct results and the following error is displayed: "WMI_ERROR_CONNECT: an error happened while connecting to the WMI namespace." Using Nessus for compliance checking. Any ideas on how to resolve this issue?

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PowerShell
A family of Microsoft task automation and configuration management frameworks consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language.
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  1. Zunhui Han 2,945 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2025-02-06T16:12:29.77+00:00

    Hello,

    When encountering the "WMI_ERROR_CONNECT: an error occurred while connecting to the WMI namespace" error in PowerShell, it usually indicates a problem occurred while attempting to connect to the WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) namespace. Here are some steps to resolve this issue, especially when conducting compliance checks with Nessus:

    Make sure to run PowerShell as an administrator, as WMI queries usually require elevated privileges.

    Check if the WMI-related services (such as Winmgmt and WMI Provider Host) are running. If the services are not started, try to start them manually.

    Ensure that the firewall allows WMI requests to pass through. This includes both the local firewall and any network firewalls that may be present.

    Confirm that the WMI namespace path you are trying to connect to is correct. The common namespace is root\cimv2.

    Ensure that the user executing the WMI query has sufficient permissions. On a remote computer, check and grant the necessary permissions through the WMI console.

    If you suspect that the WMI components are damaged, try running WMI repair commands such as winmgmt /salvagerepository and winmgmt /resyncperf.

    I hope the information above is helpful.

    Best regards

    Zunhui

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