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#1
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Password protect hidden cells
Hello,
I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the password into the document for them. First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does anybody have a sample for VB.Net? Thanks. kris |
#2
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
Update:
What I've found is the password is staying in place. However if you select all the cells in the protected document and the copy them and past them into a different workbook. All the hidden cells are copied and displayed in the new work book. So it appears I'm looking for a way to disable the copy/cut functionality from the worksheets. Any ideas? "kfrost" wrote: Hello, I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the password into the document for them. First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does anybody have a sample for VB.Net? Thanks. kris |
#3
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
It's not possible. Any solution that prevents copying would rely on macros.
But a user could thwart that by disabling macros. Excel is simply not a good repository of sensitive information. -- Jim "kfrost" wrote in message ... | Update: | | What I've found is the password is staying in place. However if you select | all the cells in the protected document and the copy them and past them into | a different workbook. All the hidden cells are copied and displayed in the | new work book. So it appears I'm looking for a way to disable the copy/cut | functionality from the worksheets. | | Any ideas? | | | | "kfrost" wrote: | | Hello, | | I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for | pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The | wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you | can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then | open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. | | I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears | that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using | MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the | password into the document for them. | | First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these | hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to | hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does | anybody have a sample for VB.Net? | | Thanks. | | kris | | |
#4
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
Thanks you Jim,
Is there something I'm missing then. Any idea as to why you can take a document that is password protected with hidden cells/columns or rows and copy the entire document to a new workbook and where all the hidden, "protected" cells are then displayed? How do you prevent this? I would assume it would be possible because if it wasn't why would they waste their time creating the password/proctection functionality. If not, what about building a Excel spreadsheet in Visual Studio with the office tool kit. Could you hard code and app to gain this functionality? Thanks. kris "Jim Rech" wrote: It's not possible. Any solution that prevents copying would rely on macros. But a user could thwart that by disabling macros. Excel is simply not a good repository of sensitive information. -- Jim "kfrost" wrote in message ... | Update: | | What I've found is the password is staying in place. However if you select | all the cells in the protected document and the copy them and past them into | a different workbook. All the hidden cells are copied and displayed in the | new work book. So it appears I'm looking for a way to disable the copy/cut | functionality from the worksheets. | | Any ideas? | | | | "kfrost" wrote: | | Hello, | | I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for | pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The | wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you | can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then | open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. | | I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears | that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using | MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the | password into the document for them. | | First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these | hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to | hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does | anybody have a sample for VB.Net? | | Thanks. | | kris | | |
#5
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
Is there something I'm missing then.
I think so. I'd say that protection in general is there to keep people from inadvertently mucking with your workbook. Say you set it up in a certain way to get information or to help users calculate a result. You hide stuff more as a matter of cosmetics than to keep it truly secret. It was never intended as security. Excel is Excel. If you automate an Excel workbook from another app or from a DLL you still have a workbook that can be opened independently and 'explored'. On the other hand if the sensitive data/calculations never gets to an Excel workbook then that issue goes away. Say all of that was in a DLL and that Excel is used only as a presentation vehicle of the final results. That's the only answer I can think of but then you lose Excel's calculational power. And you have to know how to write such a DLL. -- Jim "kfrost" wrote in message ... | Thanks you Jim, | | Is there something I'm missing then. Any idea as to why you can take a | document that is password protected with hidden cells/columns or rows and | copy the entire document to a new workbook and where all the hidden, | "protected" cells are then displayed? | | How do you prevent this? I would assume it would be possible because if it | wasn't why would they waste their time creating the password/proctection | functionality. | | If not, what about building a Excel spreadsheet in Visual Studio with the | office tool kit. Could you hard code and app to gain this functionality? | | Thanks. | | kris | | | | "Jim Rech" wrote: | | It's not possible. Any solution that prevents copying would rely on macros. | But a user could thwart that by disabling macros. Excel is simply not a | good repository of sensitive information. | | -- | Jim | "kfrost" wrote in message | ... | | Update: | | | | What I've found is the password is staying in place. However if you | select | | all the cells in the protected document and the copy them and past them | into | | a different workbook. All the hidden cells are copied and displayed in | the | | new work book. So it appears I'm looking for a way to disable the | copy/cut | | functionality from the worksheets. | | | | Any ideas? | | | | | | | | "kfrost" wrote: | | | | Hello, | | | | I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for | | pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The | | wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is | you | | can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. | Then | | open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. | | | | I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it | appears | | that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are | using | | MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the | | password into the document for them. | | | | First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these | | hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love | to | | hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, | does | | anybody have a sample for VB.Net? | | | | Thanks. | | | | kris | | | | | | | |
#6
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
Thanks for the input Jim, if what you say is correct then I have an issue
with the wording of the help in Excel and the way they describe security and protection. With what you've stated the product doesn't live up to what is described in the help files. Because they talk about security/protection, strong passwords etc so nobody can access the protected items. But if you can just copy and paste to another worksheet that's a security breach or flaw. As a matter of fact the product should be advertised as you have mentioned and the word security should be removed all together from the documentation. Again, I appreciate your help. I'm taking this up with the Office team directly to get an official word before scrapping excel for something else. Thank you. "Jim Rech" wrote: Is there something I'm missing then. I think so. I'd say that protection in general is there to keep people from inadvertently mucking with your workbook. Say you set it up in a certain way to get information or to help users calculate a result. You hide stuff more as a matter of cosmetics than to keep it truly secret. It was never intended as security. Excel is Excel. If you automate an Excel workbook from another app or from a DLL you still have a workbook that can be opened independently and 'explored'. On the other hand if the sensitive data/calculations never gets to an Excel workbook then that issue goes away. Say all of that was in a DLL and that Excel is used only as a presentation vehicle of the final results. That's the only answer I can think of but then you lose Excel's calculational power. And you have to know how to write such a DLL. -- Jim "kfrost" wrote in message ... | Thanks you Jim, | | Is there something I'm missing then. Any idea as to why you can take a | document that is password protected with hidden cells/columns or rows and | copy the entire document to a new workbook and where all the hidden, | "protected" cells are then displayed? | | How do you prevent this? I would assume it would be possible because if it | wasn't why would they waste their time creating the password/proctection | functionality. | | If not, what about building a Excel spreadsheet in Visual Studio with the | office tool kit. Could you hard code and app to gain this functionality? | | Thanks. | | kris | | | | "Jim Rech" wrote: | | It's not possible. Any solution that prevents copying would rely on macros. | But a user could thwart that by disabling macros. Excel is simply not a | good repository of sensitive information. | | -- | Jim | "kfrost" wrote in message | ... | | Update: | | | | What I've found is the password is staying in place. However if you | select | | all the cells in the protected document and the copy them and past them | into | | a different workbook. All the hidden cells are copied and displayed in | the | | new work book. So it appears I'm looking for a way to disable the | copy/cut | | functionality from the worksheets. | | | | Any ideas? | | | | | | | | "kfrost" wrote: | | | | Hello, | | | | I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for | | pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The | | wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is | you | | can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. | Then | | open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. | | | | I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it | appears | | that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are | using | | MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the | | password into the document for them. | | | | First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these | | hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love | to | | hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, | does | | anybody have a sample for VB.Net? | | | | Thanks. | | | | kris | | | | | | | |
#7
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.programming
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Password protect hidden cells
Hello,
I wanted to follow up on this. I had another engineer from MS call back and there is a way to prevent the hidden cells or any cell for that matter from being copied in excel. To do so you click on Tools, Protection, Protect Sheet There is a list of check boxes in the Protect Sheet window under "Allow all users of this worksheet to:" Uncheck "Select locked cells" and "Select unlocked cells" and then ok. Then users will not be able to select any cells in the worksheet to copy or paste. I understand that the password technology is still lacking but for general users that wouldn't look for a way to hack the sheet. "kfrost" wrote: Hello, I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the password into the document for them. First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does anybody have a sample for VB.Net? Thanks. kris |
#8
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Password protect hidden cells
Assume the sheet name is Sheet1
in another sheet, go to A1 put in the formula =Sheet1!A1 then drag fill down and across. This won't pickup formulas of course. -- Regards, Tom Ogilvy "kfrost" wrote in message ... Hello, I wanted to follow up on this. I had another engineer from MS call back and there is a way to prevent the hidden cells or any cell for that matter from being copied in excel. To do so you click on Tools, Protection, Protect Sheet There is a list of check boxes in the Protect Sheet window under "Allow all users of this worksheet to:" Uncheck "Select locked cells" and "Select unlocked cells" and then ok. Then users will not be able to select any cells in the worksheet to copy or paste. I understand that the password technology is still lacking but for general users that wouldn't look for a way to hack the sheet. "kfrost" wrote: Hello, I have a customer who has sale people that have product spreadsheets for pricing. They have wholesale and retail pricing on the same sheet. The wholesale prices they hide and password protect, however, the problem is you can open the spreadsheet in read only mode and then save a copy of it. Then open the saved copy and the password protection is then removed. I'm trying to find a way to prevent this. However in searching it appears that the password is pretty much insecure any way. So my thoughts are using MS office tools for VS and creating an Excel Project and hard coding the password into the document for them. First of all if anybody has a better suggestion on how to secure these hidden cells where only sales person have access to them, I would love to hear it. Secondly if building and compiling the app is the best way, does anybody have a sample for VB.Net? Thanks. kris |
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