What protocol is used to collect Windows event logs in an agentless manner?

The protocol used to collect Windows event logs in an agentless manner is Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WMI allows for managing and monitoring of Windows-based systems by providing a standardized way to access management information in an enterprise environment.

When an organization needs to gather event logs and other system information from Windows machines without installing an agent on those machines, WMI is the protocol of choice. It works over DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model), enabling remote querying and management of Windows devices by utilizing built-in functionalities.

While SSH (Secure Shell) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) serve specific purposes, such as secure remote logins and email transmission respectively, they are not designed for the purpose of querying Windows event logs. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is primarily used for network devices and may not provide the detailed information available through WMI for Windows-specific event logs. Thus, WMI stands out as the most appropriate protocol for this task.