How to protect the tables of my msAccess without enabling the group level security?

[Ricardo de Mila]

In my small application (msAccess VBA), I don't want to criate group users, but would like to protect the tables, so nobody else can see them or even import the information.
Is it possible?

Best Regards
Ricardo

[Rabbit]

If you're trying to protect it from external threats, you can just encrypt the database. If you're trying to protect it from internal threats, there's not much you can do except obsfucate the data.

[ADezii]

You can make Tables invisible to your Users so that they will never know that they exist, and at the same time making the process irreversible:

1. In the Database Window, select a Table to make Invisible.
2. Right-Click ==> Properties ==> Select Hidden (under Attributes).
3. Tools ==> Options ==> View Tab ==> Under View Group, uncheck Hidden Objects.
4. As an Option, you can also disable the Tools ==> Options Menu, so that a User cannot reverse this process.
5. Now, the Table(s) will not be Visible in the Tables Tab of the Database Window, and the average User will never know that they exist.
6. This is by no means foolproof, but minimally provides some security as far as seeing the Table(s).

[Ricardo de Mila]

Thank you... It solves my problem for a while.
Best Regards
Ricardo de Milano

[Ricardo de Mila]

Dear Rabbit...
What you mean when you speak about external threats and internal threats?
My main question is the following:
Let's say I have a hidden table in my file with all the preventions ADezii has mentioned. But I understand that another file made in vba would still continue to have acces to my file even listing the application.tables.items.names and everthing else using the same process.
How can I prevent that?
I told me about the encryption.
Will I have problems with the VBA if I encrypt my data?
Let's say that in a field I have the content "RICARDO". When encrypting, the information would be something like (let's say) "XYARZSK". But In my VBA if I use (for instance) an instruction dlookup, will it read "RICARDO"? I mean the encryption process is totally transparent to VBA?

Best Regards
Ricardo de Milano

[Rabbit]

1) An external threat is a person you don't intend to have access to your database. An internal threat is a person you intend to have access to your database.

2) You can't prevent someone from undoing your protections. Access is not secure. If you need real security, you shouldn't use Access.

3) If what you want is to prevent people from seeing a table, encryption will do nothing for you. Encryption is to prevent someone from reading the data in plain text. It does nothing to prevent someone from even seeing the data.

4) Any encryption you implement in Access will not be transparent to VBA, the VBA will need to be modified to use the encryption code.

[NeoPa]

It's quite easy for a developer to get around, but I like to store my data in a BE DB that is password protected. Without the password a user can only access the data via the FE. ADezii's approach will help to keep the linked tables obscured for most users.