Powershell not able to access packages / "NuGet" package provider after security configuration update

Question

I updated a server with a mof / dsc configuration, essentially changing various permissions / registry keys for security compliance. This was autogenerated to some degree, I do have a list of everything that was configured, but it's a bit difficult to read and not exactly clear.

After the process, powershell cannot update new packages, or set its default repository.

I dont think this is something specific to NuGet, and my hunch is that it is related to some kind of more basic file permissions. NuGet is, for all I can tell, installed on my system, I know for a fact it was installed prior to applying this configuration, and form what I can tell was not removed.

I have double checked a working server, and the permission on the NuGet .dll look the same.

Here is an example of an error:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Register-PSRepository -Default
PackageManagement\Import-PackageProvider : No match was found for the specified search criteria and provider name
'NuGet'. Try 'Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable' to see if the provider exists on the system.
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:7302 char:25
+ ...     $null = PackageManagement\Import-PackageProvider -Name $script:Nu ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (NuGet:String) [Import-PackageProvider], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NoMatchFoundForCriteria,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.ImportPackageProv
   ider


NuGet provider is required to continue
PowerShellGet requires NuGet provider version '2.8.5.201' or newer to interact with NuGet-based repositories. The NuGet
 provider must be available in 'C:\Program Files\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies' or
'C:\Users\opc\AppData\Local\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies'. You can also install the NuGet provider by running
'Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force'. Do you want PowerShellGet to install and import
 the NuGet provider now?
[Y] Yes  [N] No  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"): Y
PackageManagement\Install-PackageProvider : Unable to find repository with SourceLocation ''. Use Get-PSRepository to
see all available repositories.
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:7405 char:21
+ ...     $null = PackageManagement\Install-PackageProvider -Name $script:N ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (Microsoft.Power...PackageProvider:InstallPackageProvider) [Install-Pac
   kageProvider], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : RegisterPackageSourceRequired,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.InstallPack
   ageProvider

PackageManagement\Import-PackageProvider : No match was found for the specified search criteria and provider name
'NuGet'. Try 'Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable' to see if the provider exists on the system.
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:7411 char:21
+ ...     $null = PackageManagement\Import-PackageProvider -Name $script:Nu ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (NuGet:String) [Import-PackageProvider], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NoMatchFoundForCriteria,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.ImportPackageProv
   ider

PackageManagement\Get-PackageProvider : Unable to find package provider 'NuGet'. It may not be imported yet. Try
'Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable'.
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:7415 char:30
+ ... tProvider = PackageManagement\Get-PackageProvider -Name $script:NuGet ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (Microsoft.Power...PackageProvider:GetPackageProvider) [Get-PackageProvi
   der], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnknownProviderFromActivatedList,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.GetPacka
   geProvider

Register-PSRepository : NuGet provider is required to interact with NuGet-based repositories. Please ensure that
'2.8.5.201' or newer version of NuGet provider is installed.
At line:1 char:1
+ Register-PSRepository -Default
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [Register-PSRepository], InvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CouldNotInstallNuGetProvider,Register-PSRepository

Package Providers on a working system:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable

Name                     Version          DynamicOptions
----                     -------          --------------
msi                      3.0.0.0          AdditionalArguments
msu                      3.0.0.0
NuGet                    2.8.5.208        Destination, ExcludeVersion, Scope, SkipDependencies, Headers, FilterOnTag...
PowerShellGet            1.0.0.1          PackageManagementProvider, Type, Scope, AllowClobber, SkipPublisherCheck, ...
Programs                 3.0.0.0          IncludeWindowsInstaller, IncludeSystemComponent

Package Providers on broken system (note, nuget is no longer capitalized, odd, also the directory for "NuGet" is lower case, not sure if thats relevant:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable

Name                     Version          DynamicOptions
----                     -------          --------------
nuget                    2.8.5.208

NuGet package files (DLL is indeed in here, I tried replacing it with the DLL from a working system to no avail)

PS C:\Windows\system32> gci -Recurse -Filter "nuget" -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Path "C:\"


    Directory: C:\Program Files\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/10/2020   5:03 PM                nuget

Solution

It was fips!!! oh my word that was a tough one.

Here's the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\FIPSAlgorithmPolicy

Here's were I found my solution: https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/301869-powershell/suggestions/15126048-install-packageprovider-name-nuget-not-working