What represents the root cause of the error "Failed to access target system. Access is denied" in Service Mapping discovery?

The error message "Failed to access target system. Access is denied" typically indicates a problem with authentication when ServiceNow attempts to connect to a target system during discovery. In this context, a Windows authentication error is highly relevant because ServiceNow often interacts with Windows-based systems, requiring proper credentials for access. When there is a failure in Windows authentication, it directly leads to access being denied, resulting in the error message.

Proper Windows authentication may involve the use of domain credentials and ensuring that the user has adequate rights to access the target system. If the ServiceNow instance does not have the correct credentials or if the credentials provided do not have sufficient privileges on the target Windows system, the system will deny access, hence producing the stated error.

The other choices may involve permissions or authentication errors, but they are not as directly applicable to the context of accessing a target system running a Windows environment. Therefore, the focus on Windows authentication error aligns perfectly with the nature of the access denial encountered during the discovery process.