hi,

just looking for some guidance here.

I have written an app (I has concerned about using excel as a basis for this application but was forced down this route anyhow).

Basically the requirement was to add a authentication process to a excel spreadsheet given me. To achive this used an excel vba script using locked cells/worksheet/workbook protection. The actual authenication check was done via a set of calls to secur32 to requiring the user to re-authenticate themselves to our lan. (no problems with all this so far)

the net effect is now i had something Im happy with except i am dependant on excel worksheet/workbook passwords not being easlily breakable.

then i came across this

http://www.mcgimpsey.com/excel/downl...lpasswords.xls

this script will unprotect the worksheet and workbook without a password. Even when I use a strong password (including uppercase, lowercase, numerics and several special characters!!) - i have played with the cryptographic providers off the advanced tab but think that this only relate to encryption of the whole worksheet when saved
(not the worksheet/workbook protection passwords that this script removes)

Even my comples password were decryted within 5 minutes (and my machine is only 1.7ghz!)

meaning as far as i can see it locking off area of spreadsheet via locking cell & applying worksheet passwords is a load of junk and excel not up to it!
(Am i being to hard here? - is there something i have missed?)

if anybody has any thoughts, please let me know.

appreciated - many thanks, AJP