Security and Sharing of database

[achick]

Security:
I am a developing a database where a few users should have write access to it. I have a startup form with login and users who have write access can login and edit. Others can view the data as read only. But if some user knows how to by pass the startup form they can get access to data and manipulate. Is there an easy way to stop it? (I saw something briefly about usergroups and persmissions. That sounds complicated to set up having never done that before.)

Sharing:
We are trying to place access database on a shared drive and let people access it. Will there be any problems when multiple users are accessing it for read only purpose?

 

[lameid]

About sharing, check out my posts in the following thread.

thread181-1425336

As for the bypass key, you can turn it off. Search the FAQ's for more info. I bet it is in either this forum or the module forum.

The catch with this is that a savy user may still be able to find the backend and make changes there, import objects from the front end and use it too etc.

 

[achick]

Thank you for the refernces. I browsed through some bypass key codes and implemented one. It seems t obe working so far.
Is there any way that someone else can get into the tables and code if they do not know the password even after turning the key off?
Is there any way to retrieve the password/disable it of the admin forgot it?

 

[lameid]

Create a new database.

Import everything from the existing file.

Then you have a file without the database property that diallows the bypass key and you are in.

Also if you are using a split frontend and backend, you would have to do something simmilar to keep them out of the backend too. It is of course recommended to use a split sytem espcially when dealing with a multi-user environment.

Your alternatives are security. File, Jet (Access) or using a SQL server or other database server are all options. File being the easiest the implement and hardest to maintain because of the compact and repair problem.

If you are using Access 2007 I know that there are security changes from previous versions I am not familiar with. Otherwise the workgroup security model has been about the same since I cut my teeth in Access 2.0. Hopefully you are using at least Access 97.

 

[PHV]

Is there any way that someone else can get into the tables and code if they do not know the password even after turning the key off?
Is there any way to retrieve the password/disable it of the admin forgot it?
Yes to both.
A PowerUser may break access security in less than 10 minutes.

Hope This Helps, PH.
FAQ219-2884
FAQ181-2886

 

[lameid]

And of course there is the issue of a user doing a search for "crack Access Security".

There are many tools out there to break Access security.

In reality the question you have to answer is how difficult do you want to make it to break security. Assume physical access + time = broken.

 

[achick]

Thank you both for the repsonses.

Some of the users just look at data using search options. Others have a login to enter and edit records.They are not going to create new queries/forms/reports.
Is there an advantage of splitting the database in this scenario?
(I would like to split it but I am a little concerned that someone can delete the database by accident. This database is on a shared network drive where everyone has read/write/delete access)

 

[lameid]

Yes... Splitting the database means there are fewer objects in each file to lead to corruption. I find that rarely the backend files will becom corrupt in comparison to frontends. Usually frontends don't change much and it is easy to copy one from the network.

You might consider using a share that is not mapped to a drive letter. Then users would be less likely to accidentally find it let alone delete it.

 

[achick]

I will try to find out if we can have a shared space on the server without drive letter from our network admin.
Thanks