Protected Data

[Jerry M. Gartner]

Greetings:

We have some legacy data in what appears to be <= Access 2000. It also
appears to have user-level security, although I can't seem to locate the
security workgroup files associated with the database. Is there a way to
bypass these security features so we can access this data? Thanks in
advance.

 

[Joseph Meehan]

Greetings:

We have some legacy data in what appears to be <= Access 2000. It
also appears to have user-level security, although I can't seem to
locate the security workgroup files associated with the database. Is
there a way to bypass these security features so we can access this
data? Thanks in advance.

I understand there are outfits that will attempt to crack them, but I
also understand it is expensive.

 

[Jerry M. Gartner]

Hmmm... thus far, I've found a .net program that will open the database up
for $150.00. Sounds like a racket. Is there a way to get to OUR data
without paying for what is already ours?

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Realistically, if it was easy to get at secured data, there'd be no point in
securing the data in the first place, would there?

While Access security is somewhat of an oxymoron, it is complicated to
break, so having to for a cracker doesn't strike me as unreasonable,
especially if you can't find the MDW.

 

[Joseph Meehan]

Hmmm... thus far, I've found a .net program that will open the
database up for $150.00. Sounds like a racket. Is there a way to
get to OUR data without paying for what is already ours?

You are not paying for the data, you are paying to get to it now that
you lost the MDW file. As noted, it is neither impossible nor easy to do.
$150 is a low price based on what I have seen.

It would appear that someone in your organization failed to do there job
properly. I would guess the failed due to ignorance or lack of foresight
but it is also possible someone did it intentionally. Before I retired, I
left written instructions with three people including my manager and
provided instructions to two people along with list of passwords locations
of files and backups and made sure they understood the instructions.
Somehow I doubt that it always works that smoothly.

 

[Larry Linson]

Hmmm... thus far, I've found a .net
program that will open the database up
for $150.00. Sounds like a racket. Is
there a way to get to OUR data without
paying for what is already ours?

If there were, wouldn't you feel justified in complaining "What kind of lame
security is this, that can be broken so easily, for free?" $150 is, as I
recall, about the going rate for "password recovery" from a database for
which you DO have the workgroup file; it may be a very good price given that
you do NOT have the workgroup file.

It is the responsibility of those securing and controlling information to
keep adequate controls and records so it cannot be accessed by people who
shouldn't and can be accessed by people who should. Discover whose
responsibility this was, and recover the cost from them.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Jerry M. Gartner]

Yes, yes... I do agree that the cost is negligible compared to the benefit
gained from accessing the data. The former "IT" person was not an IT
Professional so he tended to keep job security in mind when performing his
duties. We have modern policies and procedures in place now to
prevent/reduce occurrences like this from repeating. BTW, this data falls
under HIPPA regulations, so I really can't expect it to be too easy to get
at.