Which PowerShell cmdlet retrieves permissions on files and directories?

The PowerShell cmdlet that retrieves permissions on files and directories is Get-Acl. This cmdlet is specifically designed to fetch the access control list (ACL) associated with a file or directory, which contains information about the permissions set for users and groups on that object.

When you use Get-Acl, it returns a set of security descriptors that includes details like who has access to the file or folder, what kind of access they have (e.g., read, write, execute), and any specific permissions that may have been granted or denied. This capability is essential for security audits and managing permissions in a Windows environment.

In contrast, the other options are either not actual cmdlets in PowerShell or do not exist in that context. For example, Get-FileSystem is not a valid cmdlet, and neither List-Permissions nor Get-Permissions is recognized as a standard PowerShell cmdlet. Therefore, Get-Acl is the most appropriate and recognized command for this task.