VBA - Verify "Open password"

[Ravion]

Hello guys,

before I get misunderstood I'll make it clear. This is not a thread about hacking/cracking Excel/VBA passwords, the situation follows:

I have a project in Excel and it contains some sensitive data, it's not top secret but I'd like to avoid anyone beeing able to open the file and read the content. For this purpose I set 2 passwords, one for "Open" and another for "Write", both are Workbook's property (ActiveWorkbook.Password) and (ActiveWorkbook.WritePassword). However, this file won't be used just by me and I'd like to write a VBA code so that the User can change the password as he wants. The code for setting the password is really simple and I already have it:

Dim strOPW as string, strWPW as string
 
'inputbox or form
 
ActiveWorkbook.Password = OPW
ActiveWorkbook.WritePassword = WPW

But there is something bothering me: Excel doesn't ask you the current password, he just changes it without questioning and that's a big problem imo. I tried to write a code to get the current password, so I can verify if they match and only then, change the password. I tried:

verOPW = ActiveWorkbook.Password
verWPW = ActiveWorkbook.WritePassword

but if I try to compare the current open password and the content of verOPW, for exemple, I get always "FALSE" and if I try to read the value of verOPW, all I get is *******.

So I'd like to kindly ask if someone knows how could I make this verification with the current password before I set one anew.

Thanks in advance and best regards!

 

[Andrew Poulsom]

Welcome to MrExcel.

Surely the user already knows the existing passwords because he opened the workbook? The properties don't return the actual password, but a string of *s.

 

[Ravion]

Hello Andrew, thanks for the Welcome!

You are right, the User knows the password but it is a security matter. In theory nothing prevents someone unauthorized, e.g. who finds the file open, to change the password. I know and I agree that sounds a little paranoia, but it's company policy.

 

[Andrew Poulsom]

Sorry, I don't think what you want to do is possible. The passwords aren't exposed by VBA.