Charles Maxson

The password is...

Try this:

Open Microsoft Excel
Protect the worksheet (Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet...)
Enter the following password: "512"
Reconfim with the same: "512"
Try to edit cells - security is enforced (should give you a protection error/warning)

Unprotect the worksheet (Tools | Protection | Unprotect Sheet...)
Enter the following password: "550" (NOTE: IT IS DIFFERENT!)
Try to edit cells - security is removed

... and you provided the incorrect password!

In fact, you could have used 533, 550, 571, 596 or even 113, 132, 151, 170, 197, 303, 322, 341, 360, 387, 702, 723, 740, 761, 786, 911, 930, 953, 972, 995!

How can this be? Well...

It's the type of security I like to refer to as "Screen Door Security". You know, the kind that only keeps out those who really to belong in. When it’s your screen door, you’re not likely to cut the screen to get in. When the password is unknown (or forgotten), it’s the owner who is likely to be kept out.

So why does Excel work this way? Good question… I am going to refer you to
J.E. McGimpsey's XL Pages, or more specifically, to J.E.’s write up on Excel’s security (or lack thereof ;)

And if you where wonder how I got all those working passwords at the top of this post? No I didn’t go through them all individually…

A couple important things though before I share my code:

First - don't go breakin' passwords just 'cus ya know you can. Stay off the fileshare and don't go looking for your manager's performance review workbook to give yourself a
review score better than ya earned…

Second - I AM NOT CONDONING THIS! I only brought this up to share the information that this is not very secure and you should to be aware of this to protect yourself, not to compromise others… that said… I wasn’t the one that left the screen door open…

Here is my code for doing it:

Sub LockTheScreenDoor()

    ActiveSheet.Protect Password:="512"

End Sub

Sub CutTheScreenAndEnter()
    Dim nCount As Integer
    Dim bSuccess As Boolean
    Dim sSuccesses As String
    
    On Error GoTo Exception
    For nCount = 100 To 999
    
        ActiveSheet.Unprotect Password:=nCount
        bSuccess = True
        LockTheScreenDoor
    
NextTry:
        
        If bSuccess Then
            sSuccesses = sSuccesses & vbCrLf & nCount
        End If
        
    Next nCount
    
    MsgBox "Unlocked with: " & sSuccesses
    
Exit Sub
    
Exception:
    Err = 0
    bSuccess = False
    Resume NextTry
End Sub