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220-1102 Practice Question: A technician is writing a PowerShell script to…
A technician is writing a PowerShell script to check the last boot time of a remote computer. The script uses Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem. The script works locally but fails with an access denied error when targeting a remote machine. Both computers are domain-joined and the technician has admin rights. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that access denied errors are always due to permissions or group membership, when in fact network-level firewall blocking of WinRM/WMI traffic is a frequent real-world cause.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The remote computer has Windows Firewall blocking WMI traffic.
Get-CimInstance uses the WS-Management (WSMan) protocol, which relies on WinRM. By default, Windows Firewall blocks inbound WinRM traffic on port 5985 (HTTP) and 5986 (HTTPS). Even though the technician has admin rights and both machines are domain-joined, the remote firewall must allow WinRM traffic for the CIM session to succeed. The local success is because no firewall traversal is needed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The remote computer does not have PowerShell installed.
Why it's wrong here
While Get-CimInstance is a PowerShell cmdlet, it leverages Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to gather information. WMI is a fundamental management infrastructure built into all modern Windows operating systems, including client and server versions, and operates independently of whether PowerShell itself is installed or actively used on the target machine. Therefore, the absence of PowerShell on the remote computer would not prevent WMI from functioning or being accessible via a WMI-aware tool.
- ✓
The remote computer has Windows Firewall blocking WMI traffic.
Why this is correct
For remote WMI queries to succeed, the Windows Firewall on the target computer must be configured to allow inbound WMI traffic. This typically involves enabling specific firewall rules, such as "Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)" or "Remote Administration (WMI-In)", which permit DCOM and RPC connections over the necessary ports. If these rules are not enabled, the firewall will block the communication attempts, resulting in a connection failure for Get-CimInstance.
- ✗
The script uses an incorrect namespace.
Why it's wrong here
WMI objects are organized into namespaces, which act like directories for classes. The root/cimv2 namespace is the default and most commonly used namespace, containing a vast array of standard classes, including Win32_OperatingSystem. Unless explicitly specified otherwise, Get-CimInstance defaults to this namespace, making it highly improbable that using root/cimv2 for a standard class like Win32_OperatingSystem would be the cause of a connection issue.
- ✗
The technician is not a member of the Remote Management Users group.
Why it's wrong here
Accessing WMI remotely primarily requires administrative privileges on the target machine, or at least membership in a group with sufficient WMI permissions. The "Remote Management Users" group is specifically designed to grant non-administrative users access to Windows Remote Management (WinRM) services, which operate on a different protocol (WS-Management) than WMI's DCOM/RPC. Therefore, membership in this group is not a prerequisite for standard remote WMI operations.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Editions and Features
Key term
Firewall
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules to protect trusted internal networks from untrusted external networks.
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.