I have carried out the Keith Wilby stepwise approach to securing an MDB but I am not sure what I have achieved

[carriolan]

Hi
Hi
As daft as it may sound I have carried out the approach detailed by
Keith Wilby on his site www.keithwilby.com/ down to and inclusive of
import objects. I have established that:
1. IPGAdmin is now a member of the ‘Admins’ group and owns the
database and imported objects.
2. Admin the old user does not own the objects or the database and
does not have any permissions.

So now I have to check that IT has worked. I quote "Check that it has
worked by trying to log on as Admin with the password you gave the
account earlier. You should also check that you can't open the
database from an explorer window".

This is what I have checked and the associated results:

1) Double clicking on the MDB from within Windows Explorer generates a
popup logon. If I enter the original Admin and Password, the Admin
user can still do anything with the objects, delete and create etc.

2) I created a blank database under the original 'Admin' and password
and succeeded in importing all of the tables from the new database
which the 'Admin' user has no ownership or permissions.

Help what have I achieved?
Regards
Carriolan

[Larry Linson]

Perhaps Keith will see this and respond. I am not familiar with his
approach. But, clearly, from what you describe, you have not properly
secured the database.

My recommendation about securing your Access database always is to obtain
the Access Security FAQ from
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-us/secfaq.exe.

Read, re-read, and study it. Then follow it carefully and exactly. Do not
add nor skip any step -- if you do, it may leave it so insecure that anyone
can get into it, or so secure that not even you, the owner, can.

In his _Access 2.0 Developer's Guide_, Roger Jennings described Access
security as "labrynthine". It has gotten somewhat stronger, but no simpler
through Access 2003. On the other hand, if your application or your data is
worth more than approx. US$150, don't rely on Access security, because
that's the going price for cracks that will crack even user and group
security.

And, as for the application, few Access applications are so complex that
they can't easily be re-created by an experienced Access developer with far
less time and effort than the original implementation. (After all, for
someone who knows Access very well, the heavy lifting has already been
done -- figuring out how to apply Access to the business problem.)

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
<carriolan@> wrote in message
news:9g********************************@4ax.com...

Hi
Hi
As daft as it may sound I have carried out the approach detailed by
Keith Wilby on his site www.keithwilby.com/ down to and inclusive of
import objects. I have established that:
1. IPGAdmin is now a member of the 'Admins' group and owns the
database and imported objects.
2. Admin the old user does not own the objects or the database and
does not have any permissions.

So now I have to check that IT has worked. I quote "Check that it has
worked by trying to log on as Admin with the password you gave the
account earlier. You should also check that you can't open the
database from an explorer window".

This is what I have checked and the associated results:

1) Double clicking on the MDB from within Windows Explorer generates a
popup logon. If I enter the original Admin and Password, the Admin
user can still do anything with the objects, delete and create etc.

2) I created a blank database under the original 'Admin' and password
and succeeded in importing all of the tables from the new database
which the 'Admin' user has no ownership or permissions.

Help what have I achieved?
Regards
Carriolan

[jeremygetsmail]

And keep reading that security white paper.

I built a set of instructions that's a bit more complete than what's in
the white paper. You can get to that from here:
http://abcdataworks.com/security.htm

I'm surprised that when I built those pages I didn't include my
standard description of Access security: It's great at keeping people
from accidentally coming across data they shouldn't see, makes it
fairly difficult for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to get
at your data, and is of absolutely no use in trying to thwart someone
determined to get to your data.

Jeremy
--
Jeremy Wallace
Fund for the City of New York

[Keith W]

<carriolan@> wrote in message
news:9g********************************@4ax.com...

Help what have I achieved?

I think you may have put the cart before the horse - my example is intended
to supplement the FAQ, not replace it. It might be wise to go back to your
backup (you did make one, right?), read/digest the FAQ and then try the
example again. With security there are no quick fixes and no shortcuts, it
takes a lot of reading and experimenting to get a full understanding.

Regards,
Keith.

[carriolan]

Hi Jeremy
Great Instructions thanks. I now have a database that is protected and
which can only be accessed by 'newAdmin' from the desktop shortcut.
This is what I did next:
1. In 'Tools | Security | Users and Group Accounts | Users tab' I
setup a new user 'newUser'
2. I then 'added' the 'newUser' as a member of the 'myUsers' Group (
the one I set up previously with your instructions)
3. However I could not set the password in 'Tools | Security | Users
and Group Accounts | Change password' it would only allow me to amend
'newAdmin' password
4. Went into ' 'Tools | Security | Users and Group Permissions |
Permissions tab' and selected the 'Groups' radio button and 'Database'
from the objects dropdown
5. Selected the 'myUser' group and checked the boxes for 'Open/Run'
and 'OpenExclusive'
6. I did NOT select the 'Users' radio button and assign permissions
for 'newUser' directly
7. I then launched the database from the desktop shortcut. The logon
was displayed and I entered 'newUser' leaving the password blank
8. I got error messages: I do not have permission to run 'frmStartUp'
and 'autoExec'
9. Having 'OK'ed the two error messages I was allowed in and could set
the password for 'newUser'.

My questions are:
1. What permissions should I assign to the user to permit the
'newUser' to use the database, but without amending its objects.
2. How do I go about this?
3. What was the proper method of setting a password for 'newUser'?

My real objective is to prevent users from gaining access to the data
in my tables.

Thanks for your help
Regards
Carriolan

-


On 15 Dec 2005 11:08:16 -0800, je************@gmail.com wrote:

And keep reading that security white paper.

I built a set of instructions that's a bit more complete than what's in
the white paper. You can get to that from here:
http://abcdataworks.com/security.htm

I'm surprised that when I built those pages I didn't include my
standard description of Access security: It's great at keeping people
from accidentally coming across data they shouldn't see, makes it
fairly difficult for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to get
at your data, and is of absolutely no use in trying to thwart someone
determined to get to your data.

Jeremy

[carriolan]

Hi Jeremy
Great Instructions thanks. I now have a database that is protected and
which can only be accessed by 'newAdmin' from the desktop shortcut.
This is what I did next:
1. In 'Tools | Security | Users and Group Accounts | Users tab' I
setup a new user 'newUser'
2. I then 'added' the 'newUser' as a member of the 'myUsers' Group (
the one I set up previously with your instructions)
3. However I could not set the password in 'Tools | Security | Users
and Group Accounts | Change password' it would only allow me to amend
'newAdmin' password
4. Went into ' 'Tools | Security | Users and Group Permissions |
Permissions tab' and selected the 'Groups' radio button and 'Database'
from the objects dropdown
5. Selected the 'myUser' group and checked the boxes for 'Open/Run'
and 'OpenExclusive'
6. I did NOT select the 'Users' radio button and assign permissions
for 'newUser' directly
7. I then launched the database from the desktop shortcut. The logon
was displayed and I entered 'newUser' leaving the password blank
8. I got error messages: I do not have permission to run 'frmStartUp'
and 'autoExec'
9. Having 'OK'ed the two error messages I was allowed in and could set
the password for 'newUser'.

My questions are:
1. What permissions should I assign to the user to permit the
'newUser' to use the database, but without amending its objects.
2. How do I go about this?
3. What was the proper method of setting a password for 'newUser'?

My real objective is to prevent users from gaining access to the data
in my tables.

Thanks for your help
Regards
Carriolan

On 15 Dec 2005 11:08:16 -0800, je************@gmail.com wrote:

And keep reading that security white paper.

I built a set of instructions that's a bit more complete than what's in
the white paper. You can get to that from here:
http://abcdataworks.com/security.htm

I'm surprised that when I built those pages I didn't include my
standard description of Access security: It's great at keeping people
from accidentally coming across data they shouldn't see, makes it
fairly difficult for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to get
at your data, and is of absolutely no use in trying to thwart someone
determined to get to your data.

Jeremy

[jeremygetsmail]

My memory is that you can only set your own password, though as an
admin you can reset the password for other accounts. To set the
password fro other accounts, you've got to log in with that account.

As far as setting permissions, one big key is to set permissions for
groups, not individual users--your users will come and go, and you'll
just have to recreate those permissions when that happens. So even if
you are setting permissions particular to just one user, first create a
group with a name that describes the funcitons that person will do, set
permissions for that group, and make that individual a member of that
group.

A person will need to be a member of a group that has permission to use
every object that they come into contact with while using the database.
In general, I open up everything except those objectgs that need to be
locked down.

Jeremy
--
Jeremy Wallace
Fund for the City of New York

[salad]

Keith W wrote:

<carriolan@> wrote in message
news:9g********************************@4ax.com...

Help what have I achieved?

I think you may have put the cart before the horse - my example is intended
to supplement the FAQ, not replace it. It might be wise to go back to your
backup (you did make one, right?), read/digest the FAQ and then try the
example again. With security there are no quick fixes and no shortcuts, it
takes a lot of reading and experimenting to get a full understanding.

Regards,
Keith.

Yeah. MS made implementing security a complex issue...so complex even
they couldn't document it adequately. I doubt if there are more than a
handful at MS that could secure an Access database.

[Bri]

je************@gmail.com wrote:

My memory is that you can only set your own password, though as an
admin you can reset the password for other accounts. To set the
password fro other accounts, you've got to log in with that account. <snip>
Jeremy

Check out the User Object. It has the Password Property.

--
Bri

From AC97 Help
==============
This example uses the CreateUser method and Password and PID properties
to create a new User object; it then makes the new User object a member
of different Group objects and lists its properties and groups.

Sub CreateUserX()

Dim wrkDefault As Workspace
Dim usrNew As User
Dim grpNew As Group
Dim usrTemp As User
Dim prpLoop As Property
Dim grpLoop As Group

Set wrkDefault = DBEngine.Workspaces(0)

With wrkDefault

' Create and append new User.
Set usrNew = .CreateUser("NewUser")
usrNew.PID = "AAA123456789"
usrNew.Password = "NewPassword"
.Users.Append usrNew

' Create and append new Group.
Set grpNew = .CreateGroup("NewGroup", _

"AAA123456789")
.Groups.Append grpNew

' Make the user "NewUser" a member of the
' group "NewGroup" by creating and adding the
' appropriate User object to the group's Users
' collection.
Set usrTemp = _
.Groups("NewGroup").CreateUser("NewUser")
.Groups("NewGroup").Users.Append usrTemp

Debug.Print "Properties of " & usrNew.Name

' Enumerate the Properties collection of NewUser. The
' PID property is not readable.

For Each prpLoop In usrNew.Properties
On Error Resume Next
If prpLoop <> "" Then Debug.Print " " & _
prpLoop.Name & " = " & prpLoop
On Error GoTo 0
Next prpLoop

Debug.Print "Groups collection of " & usrNew.Name

' Enumerate the Groups collection of NewUser.
For Each grpLoop In usrNew.Groups
Debug.Print " " & _
grpLoop.Name
Next grpLoop

' Delete the new User and Group objects because this

' is a demonstration.
.Users.Delete "NewUser"
.Groups.Delete "NewGroup"

End With

End Sub

[jeremygetsmail]

Bri wrote:

je************@gmail.com wrote:

My memory is that you can only set your own password, though as an
admin you can reset the password for other accounts. To set the
password fro other accounts, you've got to log in with that account.

<snip>

Jeremy

Check out the User Object. It has the Password Property.

Right. Sorry. It's been a while since I've used this stuff. But I have
definitely used this code before. Thanks, Bri.