473,385 Members | 1,218 Online
Bytes | Software Development & Data Engineering Community
Post Job

Home Posts Topics Members FAQ

Join Bytes and contribute your articles to a community of 473,385 developers and data experts.

How to Unsecure a Secure Access Database

ADezii
8,834 Expert 8TB
On several occasions, we've come across situations in which our Members have inherited secured, legacy Databases and were told to either eliminate the security mechanism on these Databases or restructure them. In these, and similar circumstances, it is very helpful to know you can 'unsecure' a 'secure' Access Database. These are the steps necessary to accomplish this:

  1. Log on as a Member of the Admins Group.
  2. Grant full permissions, including Administer permission, to the built-in Users Group for all Objects in the Database.
  3. Put the Admin User back in the Admins Group if he isn't there.
  4. Clear the Password for the Admin User.
  5. Exit Access.
  6. Restart Access, and log on as Admin.
  7. Create a New, blank Database, and import all the secured Database's Objects using the File ==> Get External Data ==> Import command.

    Expand|Select|Wrap|Line Numbers
    1.  
    2. NOTE: The trick to this technique is to give an unsecured Group (Users) full permissions on all the Objects and then to transfer ownership of the Database and all its Objects to an unsecured User (Admin). Keep in mind that the Admin User and the Users Group have the same SID (Security Identifier) across all Workgroups. Therefore, these accounts are not secure. Full permissions for all Objects was granted to the Users Group in Step #2 and ownerships of all the Database Objects was transferred to the unsecured User (Admin) in Step #7 by nature of the Import by the Admin User.
Sep 8 '07 #1
4 31818
Also, if you have been given this task, but nobody knows a login for the Admins group, then sometimes there is a simple workaround:

Open access (not a database). Make sure that you are using Access in the default Workgroup Information File (WIF):

Tools -> Security -> Workgroup Administrator...

Click Join...

Select the default Workgroup Information File (System.mdw)

OK

Once you are part of the default WIF, try opening the database from within Access. Oftentimes the developers fail to restrict the database to their specific WIF. If so, this will work.

If that doesn't work, these is another way, but I don't want people to know how to crack my databases either so I'd rather not put those here. The ultimate truth is that Access is not designed for high-level security, and there is usually a pretty simple way to bypass it.
Oct 30 '07 #2
ADezii
8,834 Expert 8TB
Also, if you have been given this task, but nobody knows a login for the Admins group, then sometimes there is a simple workaround:

Open access (not a database). Make sure that you are using Access in the default Workgroup Information File (WIF):

Tools -> Security -> Workgroup Administrator...

Click Join...

Select the default Workgroup Information File (System.mdw)

OK

Once you are part of the default WIF, try opening the database from within Access. Oftentimes the developers fail to restrict the database to their specific WIF. If so, this will work.

If that doesn't work, these is another way, but I don't want people to know how to crack my databases either so I'd rather not put those here. The ultimate truth is that Access is not designed for high-level security, and there is usually a pretty simple way to bypass it.
Thanks Luke, for the pointers.
Oct 30 '07 #3
I have tried to do the above and I am still unable to open the database.

Can someone please help me.
Jan 12 '08 #4
ADezii
8,834 Expert 8TB
I have tried to do the above and I am still unable to open the database.

Can someone please help me.
  1. How far were you able to get into the Unsecuring Process?
  2. At exactly which point did you fail?
  3. Did you log on as a member of the Admins Group?
  4. Are you using the same Workgroup File that created the original Database?
  5. What exactly was the end result?
  6. Is the New Database secure?
  7. Provide as many details as possible.
Jan 13 '08 #5

Sign in to post your reply or Sign up for a free account.

Similar topics

4
by: Nicolae Fieraru | last post by:
Hi All, I am working on a web site in asp which will be hosted on a Windows 2003 server. I use the following code to connect to the database: Set objConn =...
2
by: Atreju | last post by:
I apologize in advance for the x-post, but I am really not sure where this would best be addressed. I am designing a database in MSAccess for which I want to make the front-end in VB. I have...
7
by: RCS | last post by:
Okay, a rather 'interesting' situation has arisen at a place I work: I need to convert a database from Access to something that can be used over the web. I am currently maintaining and...
3
by: philmcin | last post by:
I am using Access XP (Access 200 available also if that makes any difference), and am trying to set up security for one (and only one) Access database, but each time I do that every Access database...
5
by: XFER | last post by:
Does anyone know how well 10 concurrent users will perform on the above config? Are there any known issues, limits to using MS Access with IIS 5 and ASP.net on a non- ..net server (NT)? thanks.
12
by: dennist685 | last post by:
Can't edit, delete or add row in an Access database in a website 2003 When I implement a walkthrough using Northwind I have no trouble doing this. Also, in a windowsforms project I have no...
12
by: dennist685 | last post by:
How to get an Access database on the web from my own computer I have an Access database project in inetpub/wwwroot/Access2 . I build it, and then press cntrl-F5. - I still get the development...
2
by: D | last post by:
If you secure an MSACCESS Database using a Workgroup Information File WIF and then setting up permissions removing the Admin user from the its default group, repalce it with another named user,...
6
by: Killer42 | last post by:
Hi all. I have an application that I wrote ages ago - last compiled in 1998, I believe. It is still in occasional use. It uses an Access database - probably Access version 2, I think. I...
0
by: Faith0G | last post by:
I am starting a new it consulting business and it's been a while since I setup a new website. Is wordpress still the best web based software for hosting a 5 page website? The webpages will be...
0
by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
In our work, we often need to import Excel data into databases (such as MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle) for data analysis and processing. Usually, we use database tools like Navicat or the Excel import...
0
by: taylorcarr | last post by:
A Canon printer is a smart device known for being advanced, efficient, and reliable. It is designed for home, office, and hybrid workspace use and can also be used for a variety of purposes. However,...
0
by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
If we have dozens or hundreds of excel to import into the database, if we use the excel import function provided by database editors such as navicat, it will be extremely tedious and time-consuming...
0
by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
In our work, we often receive Excel tables with data in the same format. If we want to analyze these data, it can be difficult to analyze them because the data is spread across multiple Excel files...
0
by: emmanuelkatto | last post by:
Hi All, I am Emmanuel katto from Uganda. I want to ask what challenges you've faced while migrating a website to cloud. Please let me know. Thanks! Emmanuel
0
BarryA
by: BarryA | last post by:
What are the essential steps and strategies outlined in the Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) roadmap for aspiring data scientists? How can individuals effectively utilize this roadmap to progress...
1
by: nemocccc | last post by:
hello, everyone, I want to develop a software for my android phone for daily needs, any suggestions?
1
by: Sonnysonu | last post by:
This is the data of csv file 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 the lengths should be different i have to store the data by column-wise with in the specific length. suppose the i have to...

By using Bytes.com and it's services, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To disable or enable advertisements and analytics tracking please visit the manage ads & tracking page.