Excel VBA Password via Hex Editor

Question

I have used the \"Hex Editor to modify DPB to DPx\" many times in the past to bypass VBA project security on my old Excel VBA projects (.xls), so I definitely know how to do

Answer 1

1. Open xls file with a hex editor.
2. Search for DPB
3. Replace DPB to DPx
4. Save file.
5. Open file in Excel.
6. Click "Yes" if you get any message box.
7. Set new password from VBA Project Properties.
8. Close and open again file, then type your new password to unprotect.

Check http://blog.getspool.com/396/best-vba-password-recovery-cracker-tool-remove/

Answer 2

If you deal with .xlsm file instead of .xls you can use the old method. I was trying to modify vbaProject.bin in .xlsm several times using DBP->DBx method by it didn't work, also changing value of DBP didn't. So I was very suprised that following worked :
1. Save .xlsm as .xls.
2. Use DBP->DBx method on .xls.
3. Unfortunately some erros may occur when using modified .xls file, I had to save .xls as .xlsx and add modules, then save as .xlsm.

Answer 3

New version, now you also have the GC= try to replace both DPB and GC with those

DPB="DBD9775A4B774B77B4894C77DFE8FE6D2CCEB951E8045C2AB7CA507D8F3AC7E3A7F59012A2" GC="BAB816BBF4BCF4BCF4"

password will be "test"

Answer 4

I have your answer, as I just had the same problem today:

Someone made a working vba code that changes the vba protection password to "macro", for all excel files, including .xlsm (2007+ versions). You can see how it works by browsing his code.

This is the guy's blog: http://lbeliarl.blogspot.com/2014/03/excel-removing-password-from-vba.html Here's the file that does the work: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6sFi5sSqEKbLUIwUTVhY3lWZE0/edit

Pasted from a previous post from his blog:

For Excel 2007/2010 (.xlsm) files do following steps:

1. Create a new .xlsm file.
2. In the VBA part, set a simple password (for instance 'macro').
3. Save the file and exit.
4. Change file extention to '.zip', open it by any archiver program.
5. Find the file: 'vbaProject.bin' (in 'xl' folder).
6. Extract it from archive.
7. Open the file you just extracted with a hex editor.

8. Find and copy the value from parameter DPB (value in quotation mark), example: DPB="282A84CBA1CBA1345FCCB154E20721DE77F7D2378D0EAC90427A22021A46E9CE6F17188A". (This value generated for 'macro' password. You can use this DPB value to skip steps 1-8)

9. Do steps 4-7 for file with unknown password (file you want to unlock).

10. Change DBP value in this file on value that you have copied in step 8.

    If copied value is shorter than in encrypted file you should populate missing characters with 0 (zero). If value is longer - that is not a problem (paste it as is).

11. Save the 'vbaProject.bin' file and exit from hex editor.

12. Replace existing 'vbaProject.bin' file with modified one.
13. Change extention from '.zip' back to '.xlsm'
14. Now, open the excel file you need to see the VBA code in. The password for the VBA code will simply be macro (as in the example I'm showing here).