Excel Data Protection Best Practice: AKA: Real Sheet Protection

[Mushman(Woof!)]

Hello-

Any advice for best practices for protecting data/methods/macros within
Excel? Clearly, password protecting a sheet isn't the best security (free
utilities to crack it).

Scenario:
- I need users to be able to access the workbook, but by no means, gain
access to data within the certain sheets
- I can hide the data by utilizing similar colored text and hiding the
rows/columns
- Once the password is created, it appears there are tons of free utilities
that remove these passwords- Bummer.

Question:
- Any advice to help prevent the utilities from doing this? More complex
passwords help?
- Any best practices to prevent would be scoundrels from gaining access to
this data if they do crack the sheet passwords? (unfortunately, the sheets
are calculating data so having a feed from outside won't help)
- Any idea if this 'problem' has been addressed in office 2010? (aka: better
sheet password protection)

Many thanks for the tips, tricks, thoughts on this subject.

 

[Dave Peterson]

No idea about xl2010...

But if you're worried about your intellectual property, then excel isn't the
application you should be using.

Or if you have to use excel, then you shouldn't be sharing that workbook with
others who can't be trusted.

 

[Mike H]

Hi,

The only way for 2 people to keep a secret is for one to kill the other.
Excel is a little like that, if you share your workbook with someone else,
with a little ingenuity and Google they have access to your data.

Mike

 

[Mike H]

P.S.

I love the English language "Scoundrel". Why do people find it necessary to
swear when we have such an abundance of words. There's scoundrels and
rapscallions everywhere these days!!

Mike

 

[Mushman(Woof!)]

Funny you noticed that. I lived in London for a number of years and there are
certain things that have stuck:
- Tea
- Ring instead of call
- Scoundrel in stead of @$$ #@!!

Thanks for the depressing news re: Excel security. I'm pretty surprised MS
would let such a glaring weakness go on so long considering how XL is used
and where. I've noticed tons of users complaining.

Hope this is addressed in 2010, but not holding my breath all things
considered.