Security is an important and complex subject in the world of information technology. Networks can be attacked or compromised, and important information can be stolen, modified, or forged. Concepts like confidentiality, authentication, and data integrity, are all things to consider when working with and distributing important or sensitive information.

 

In Excel, the level of security or protective measures that you want to take will probably depend on the given situation, (Are you exposing important data on the public Internet? Are you running macros that could potentially contain viruses? Is there information in your workbooks that is intended for authorized users only?) The level of security that you should use also depends on how important or sensitive the information in your workbooks is. In many cases, security may not even be an issue.

 

 Excel is not intended for use as a security tool; however, it does have a few basic security features that can be used to protect important data in certain situations.

 

In this lesson, you will learn about digital signatures, and how to digitally sign a workbook. You will also learn how to adjust the level of security for macros, and how to protect your workbook with passwords.