How to Unprotect Excel Sheets in Seconds without Password - Unlock Excel Sheets

[@MichielvR]

Amazing, it turns out the protection in Excel is pretty week

[@excelkid]

Excel's protection features, while useful for basic scenarios, are often considered weak from a security standpoint, especially for more advanced or sensitive applications. Here’s an in-depth look at why Excel’s protection mechanisms are often criticized: 1. Password Protection for Worksheets and Workbooks Excel allows users to set passwords to protect individual worksheets or entire workbooks. However, the encryption used for this protection is not particularly strong. The algorithm behind the password protection on worksheets is relatively simple and can be bypassed using various tools or VBA macros. This means that with some technical knowledge, one can easily unlock a protected worksheet without needing the password. Additionally, earlier versions of Excel used very weak hashing algorithms (such as XOR), which are easy to crack. While newer versions use stronger encryption, backward compatibility with older files often requires maintaining weaker protection mechanisms. 2. Protection Scope Even when protection is applied, it is not comprehensive. For example, protecting a worksheet in Excel primarily prevents users from editing cells, but it does not protect against viewing or copying the content. Users can still open the file and view its contents, which is a significant limitation when dealing with sensitive data. Moreover, workbook protection does not prevent users from accessing VBA code, which can lead to potential security breaches if the VBA code handles sensitive operations. 3. VBA and Macro Security Excel supports Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which is powerful but introduces its own set of security challenges. Although you can password-protect your VBA projects, this protection is also relatively weak. The VBA project password can be removed or bypassed using certain tools or techniques. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because VBA code can be used to manipulate data, automate tasks, or even communicate with external systems. Unauthorized access to the VBA code could allow a malicious actor to inject harmful code or modify the behavior of the workbook. 4. File-Level Encryption Excel does offer file-level encryption, which is more secure than worksheet or workbook protection. When you set a password to open an Excel file, the file is encrypted using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a 128-bit key (in newer versions of Excel). However, the overall security of this encryption relies heavily on the strength of the password. Weak or common passwords can be cracked through brute force attacks or password-guessing techniques. Additionally, if the encryption key is compromised, the entire file’s contents can be decrypted. 5. User Privileges and Permissions Excel’s protection mechanisms do not integrate well with enterprise-level user management systems, such as those used in more secure environments. This lack of integration means that user-level permissions and roles cannot be enforced at the Excel file level, making it difficult to control who can access or modify specific content.

[@igorsvrublevskis]

Regret to say it doesn't work. In your video, 00:33 I have "sheet1", "sheet2" and "sheet3" in "worksheets" folder. But in your video you have "sheet1", might be because of this. Anyhow thank you.