Password Strength in Word

[Keith]

If I save a document in Word and add an 'open' password, is the document
encrypted, and if so how strong and using what algorithm?

Thanks

 

[Jay Freedman]

If I save a document in Word and add an 'open' password, is the document
encrypted, and if so how strong and using what algorithm?

Thanks

The default "Word 97/2000 compatible" encryption is, I think, fairly
weak although I wasn't able to find a description in a quick search.
However, if you click the Advanced button in the Security dialog, you
have your choice of encryption algorithms with key lengths up to 128
bits; in addition, it will allow use of any CryptoAPI provider you
install on the system, and those could use longer keys.

See "Digital Signatures and Encryption" at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/office2003/operate/o3secdet.mspx
for more details.