I created an Excel 97 file, used the "Save As" option and input a password
(i.e. a put a "file open" password on the file). The password had 8 numbers
in it, one upper case letter, two lower case letters, and a special
character for a total of 12 characters long (you wouldn't find anything
resembling this in a dictionary). The on-line program at
secure.decryptum.com broke the password in only a couple minutes. Did it do
this through brute force or is it able to tell the contents of file through
another technique? It almost sounds like it can remove the Microsoft
security features.

If I want the contents of this file to be more secure, would I be further
ahead using the encryption that comes in products like Winzip, TrueCrypt,
Easycrypto, etc? Or is there an easier way within Excel or VBA to make them
secure?

It is an eye-opener how easy it is to get access to an Excel file!

Thank you,
Chris