Microsoft.PowerShell.Security module: setup and commands

Module 2 min read Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7

Written and tested by Dhrub Bharali · Updated 02 October 2026

Inspect execution policy, signatures and secure strings with security cmdlets while treating execution policy as a safety feature, not a boundary.

Getting it

Included with PowerShell, although the Cert: provider and the execution policy cmdlets only do meaningful work on Windows.

Examples

1PS> Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

Show reference output

1 Scope ExecutionPolicy

2 ----- ---------------

3 MachinePolicy Undefined

4 UserPolicy Undefined

5 Process Undefined

6 CurrentUser RemoteSigned

7 LocalMachine RemoteSigned

1PS> Get-ChildItem Cert:\LocalMachine\My | Get-Member

Show reference output

1 TypeName: System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject

3 Name MemberType Definition

4 ---- ---------- ----------

5 Equals Method bool Equals(System.Object obj)

6 ToString Method string ToString()

7 Name Property string Name {get;}

8 Status Property object Status {get;}

What it is for

Come here to find out why a script refuses to run, or to check who signed one. It also backs the Cert: drive, which makes it the starting point for certificate expiry audits on a Windows host.

Typical tasks

List execution policy by scope
Verify an Authenticode signature on a script
Enumerate certificates in the LocalMachine store
Find certificates close to expiry
Prompt for a credential object
Sign a script with Set-AuthenticodeSignature

Check the installed version

1PS> Get-Module -ListAvailable Microsoft.PowerShell.Security | Select-Object Name, Version, Path

2PS> Get-Command -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Security

Compare the module path and version with the session used by your scheduled task or automation account. Come here to find out why a script refuses to run, or to check who signed one. It also backs the Cert: drive, which makes it the starting point for certificate expiry audits on a Windows host.

Primary documentation

Get-Member reference · Get-ChildItem reference

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