Pen-Test My Encrypted Excel
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
My encrypted Excel workbook needs a realistic security workout. The file is protected only through its built-in encryption, and although the information inside is not sensitive, I want to be confident that an unpaid or otherwise unauthorised user could not slip past that single control.
The scope focuses on phishing-style techniques and any other avenue that could ultimately give an outsider access to the file without the key. Feel free to explore password-guessing, token harvesting, or creative social engineering paths—as long as they stay within legal and ethical boundaries and are fully documented.
Please capture every step, tool, and timeframe you use.
Deliverables
• Replicable proof-of-concept showing how access was (or was not) gained
• A concise report summarising methods attempted, level of effort, and recommendations for hardening the workbook against similar attacks
If the bypassing period is too short, the project will not end till we improve the security and retest it with you
If you cannot break in, the report should still detail why the controls held up and what further improvements, if any, would raise the bar even higher.
The scope focuses on phishing-style techniques and any other avenue that could ultimately give an outsider access to the file without the key. Feel free to explore password-guessing, token harvesting, or creative social engineering paths—as long as they stay within legal and ethical boundaries and are fully documented.
Please capture every step, tool, and timeframe you use.
Deliverables
• Replicable proof-of-concept showing how access was (or was not) gained
• A concise report summarising methods attempted, level of effort, and recommendations for hardening the workbook against similar attacks
If the bypassing period is too short, the project will not end till we improve the security and retest it with you
If you cannot break in, the report should still detail why the controls held up and what further improvements, if any, would raise the bar even higher.