Windows Remote Management (WinRM) is theMicrosoft implementation of theDMTF-standardWS-Management. It allows accessing or exchanging management information across a common network. Utilizing scripting objects or the built-in command-line tool, WinRM can be used with any remote computers that may havebaseboard management controllers (BMCs) to acquire data. On Windows-based computers including WinRM, certain data supplied byWindows Management Instrumentation (WMI) can also be obtained.[1]
| winrs | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Command |
| License | Proprietarycommercial software |
| Website | docs |
Ansible communicates with Windows servers over WinRM using thePythonpywinrm package and can remotely runPowerShell scripts and commands.[4]
Thycotic's Secret Server also leverages WinRM to enable PowerShell remoting.[5]
SolarWinds Server and Application Monitoring software (SAM) utilizes a WinRM server on monitored servers for its PowerShell integration.[6]
CloudBolt leverages WinRM as part of Blueprints, Server Actions, and CB Plugins to execute remote scripts on Windows servers using the pythonpywinrm module.[7]
WinRM usesKerberos for initial authentication by default. This ensures that actual credentials are never sent inclient-server communications, instead relying on features such as hashing and tickets to connect.[8] Although WinRM listeners can be configured to encrypt all communications usingHTTPS, with the use of Kerberos, even if unencrypted HTTP is used, all communication is still encrypted using a symmetric 256-bit key after the authentication phase completes. Using HTTPS with WinRM allows for additional security by ensuring server identity viaSSL/TLS certificates thereby preventing an attacker from impersonating it.[9]
