Prevent table/query import

[kingsuresh]

Hi,
My company has an Access application with the front-end in one
database, and the data stored in another. This holds confidential
information. Unfortunately, a group of employees copied the databases
and resigned to form a company of their own, and thus they have access
to the confidential information.

Can you please let me know how I can secure the application I support
to prevent this from happening? I have disabled the shift key in the
front-end database, and have provided a database password to the back-
end database. But that doesn't prevent users from creating a blank
database and importing the linked tables from the front-end database.
Is there any possibility of preventing data import from the linked
tables?

Everybody seems to be suggesting implementation of RWOP queries
instead of table access, but my application has hundreds of forms,
queries and tables, and it would be nightmarish to implement RWOP
queries; I might as well rewrite the entire application and host the
data on a (definitely more secure) db server. Is there an alternative?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Suresh.

 

['69 Camaro]

Hi.

Unfortunately, a group of employees copied the databases
and resigned to form a company of their own, and thus they have access
to the confidential information.

This is a managerial problem and a legal problem, not a technical problem.
The employees should have signed a no-compete contract when they were hired.
If they stole company information, then take the former employees to court.
Theft is illegal.

Can you please let me know how I can secure the application I support
to prevent this from happening?

Store the data in a client/server database and use that database's security
to protect the data. Access's security isn't enough to protect the data
from being stolen, because thieves can easily download tools from the
Internet to either remove or bypass Access security. Store a copy of the
front end in a Windows directory where the untrustworthy employees don't
have Windows permissions to read files, so that the regular users can copy
the front end to their workstations whenever there are updates. Only allow
those who need to access the Access database application Windows security
permissions to that directory. If these happen to be the untrustworthy
employees, then let management find other employees who are trustworthy and
assign only them to the Windows group that has access to the Access database
application's front end.

Everybody seems to be suggesting implementation of RWOP queries
instead of table access, but my application has hundreds of forms,
queries and tables, and it would be nightmarish to implement RWOP
queries;

RWOP is moot when someone determined to steal the data can use a tool to
read a member of the Admins group' User ID and password and log in as that
user.

I might as well rewrite the entire application and host the
data on a (definitely more secure) db server. Is there an alternative?

It's a bit late to close the barn door now that the horses are loose.
However, if you have other employees who can't be trusted, then don't allow
them access to the Access database file through the operating system and
network. Use Windows security to protect the front end and a client/server
database to protect the data in the back end.

HTH.
Gunny

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