How to Crack VBA Project Passwords in Excel
How to Crack VBA Project Passwords in Excel
VBA projects are macros that can automate tasks and enhance the functionality of Excel workbooks. However, sometimes these projects are protected with a password to prevent unauthorized access or modification. If you forget the password or need to access a protected VBA project, you might wonder how to crack it.
In this article, we will explain what a VBA project password is, how it is stored and encrypted, and how to crack it using different methods. We will also provide some tips on how to protect your VBA projects from cracking.
What is a VBA project password?
A VBA project password is a password that you can set to lock your VBA project for viewing or editing. When you set a password, you will be prompted to enter it whenever you try to open the VBA editor (ALT+F11) or view the project properties. The password is not used to encrypt the content of the VBA project, it is just used as protection by the VBA IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
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The password is stored as the DPB value of the PROJECT stream inside the Excel file. The PROJECT stream contains information about the VBA project, such as its name, modules, references, etc. The DPB value is the hexadecimal representation of an encrypted hash of the password (MBCS representation) + 4 byte salt. The hash algorithm used is SHA1 and the encryption algorithm is a data encryption algorithm that does not use a secret key[^1^].
How to crack a VBA project password?
There are different methods to crack a VBA project password, depending on your goal and situation. Here are some of them:
Method 1: Replace the DPB value with an unprotected one
This method involves replacing the values of ID, CMG, DPB and GC in the PROJECT stream with the values of an unprotected VBA project. This way, you can remove the password protection without knowing the original password. You can do this manually using a hex editor or automatically using a tool like oledump.py[^1^].
To use this method, follow these steps:
Make a backup copy of your Excel file.
Open your Excel file with a hex editor.
Search for "DPB=" in the hex editor and note down its value.
Create a new Excel file with an unprotected VBA project and open it with a hex editor.
Search for "DPB=" in the hex editor and copy its value.
Paste the copied value over the original value in your Excel file.
Save and close your Excel file.
Open your Excel file and press ALT+F11 to enter the VBA editor. You should be able to access your VBA project without entering a password.
Method 2: Use a direct VBA approach
This method involves swapping the memory of the original function used to display the password dialog box with a user defined function that will always return 1 when being called. This way, you can trick the VBA IDE into thinking that you entered the right password[^2^].
To use this method, follow these steps:
Make a backup copy of your Excel file.
Open your Excel file and press ALT+F11 to enter the VBA editor.
Create a new xlsm file and store this code in Module1[^2^]:Option Explicit
Private Const PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE = &H40
Private Declare Sub MoveMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" _
(Destination As Long, Source As Long, ByVal Length As Long)
Private Declare Function VirtualProtect Lib "kernel32" (lpAddress As Long, _
ByVal dwSize As Long, ByVal flNewProtect As Long, lpflOldProtect As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetModuleHandleA Lib "kernel32" (ByVal lpModuleName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function GetProcAddress Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hModule As Long, _
ByVal lpProcName 29c81ba772
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