Release Date: May 7, 2025

## Improvements

- We improved error handling in the `audit_policy` resource by raising a resource failure when the exit status is non-zero. This fixes issues such as `Error 0x00000057 occurred: The parameter is incorrect` on Windows clients. ([#7319](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/7319))

- We've updated Train to handle newer versions of Windows where the WMI command-line (WMIC) utility is deprecated, for example, on Windows 10 version 21H1 and Windows Server 2022.
  Previously, Train returned the following error: `'windows_uuid_from_wmic': undefined method 'strip' for nil:NilClass`.
  In those newer Windows versions, Train now uses PowerShell's `Get-CimInstance` to detect the UUID.
  ([train #789](https://github.com/inspec/train/pull/789/)), ([train #788](https://github.com/inspec/train/pull/788/))

## Bug fixes

- We fixed the `inspec check` command when running profiles with empty files or files with only comments and no tests. ([#7332](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/7332))

### Waiver files

- We improved notifications when running a waiver with an empty waiver file. Previously, InSpec failed with an error, now it emits a warning and continues to run the profile. ([#7339](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/7339))

- We added an error notification if executing a waiver with an unsupported file type. ([#7339](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/7339))

- We improved errors when running a waiver with a malformed waiver file. Previously, InSpec would continue to run if a waiver file failed a lint, and then it would return an error notification with the first control after completing the profile. Now it exits immediately and returns an error. ([#6644](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/6644))

- We added an error notification when running a waiver with a waiver file that's missing required parameters. ([#6644](https://github.com/inspec/inspec/pull/6644))