Resolving WMI Access Denied

If you’re experiencing “Access Denied” errors when attempting to discover machines with WMI in vScope, there are several potential causes. Follow these steps to troubleshoot and resolve access issues.

Verify WMI Credential Privileges

Ensure that the account used for WMI discovery has the necessary permissions to read information from the target machine(s). For detailed instructions on configuring local accounts for WMI access, refer to Setting Up WMI Access via AD GPO.

Confirm the Credential’s Password

1. Check that the password is accurate and hasn’t expired.
2. Update the password in both vScope and Active Directory if needed.

Note

Certain special characters (e.g., ",$,% and <) may cause issues on some Windows operating systems. Try updating the password without these characters if you encounter an “Access Denied” error.

Synchronize System Clocks

A significant time difference between the vScope server and the target machine(s) can cause authentication failures. Ensure the local time is set correctly on both the vScope server and target machines.

Enable NTLM on Target Machines

Verify that NTLM is enabled on each target machine, as WMI authentication requires it. Disabling NTLM can prevent WMI connections from establishing successfully.