There isn’t a database programme on the planet that offers anything even close to what Microsoft access can give you. It is very quick and easy to learn, even if people aren’t fully computer literate. A lot of people don’t like using Microsoft access for a variety of reasons, but once you have understood it, it really is a very effective tool. However, there are some things that you can’t let slide and put down to bad system design and that is security. Whilst Microsoft access does have its place in some organisations, you can’t overlook its security failings, here are the top Microsoft access security issues that you need to be aware of if you are thinking of using it in your organisation.

Data Breaches

One the of the reasons that IT gurus don’t like Microsoft access is because of the way it has been patched up over the years. Remember, this programme is 30 years old! The people that were patching up the problems at the back end weren’t developers, they were just people that needed the software to work and this has left vulnerabilities. Some organisations think that their Microsoft access platform is secure from internet breaches, when in fact it isn’t. Due to the patched-up issues and the network interface that access contains, if a hacker were to breach your system, the access package would be no match for them.

Internal Data Breaches

End users are all guilty of downloading items from access and leaving them on a file on their desktop. Taking information such as this off access can cause an internal data breach if a hacker was to get into your network system. Correct protocol should be used when you are dealing with any data that has come off from Microsoft access and saving it to your desktop shouldn’t be your go to.

Failure To Update

I know we’re making it sound like your system is constantly under attack, but in this day and age, you need to be more aware than ever of potential security risks and using a system that hasn’t been updated is just one of those risks. Dusan at VSS monitoring recommends that you update your Microsoft access to ensure you increase the security. A lot of organisations don’t like updating it, due to the fact that it runs as a standalone piece of software with no real alternatives if the worst was to happen. However, if you don’t update it, there only needs to be one vulnerability found and that can be an inroad for a hacker or a virus.

Corruption

Unfortunately, Microsoft access is also known to corrupt and when it does corrupt, you can wave goodbye to any information you had stored on there as once it has gone it has gone. Even though the software is nearly 30 years old, this is something that Microsoft has never really fixed and is one of the major reasons that IT developers or programmers won’t have it in their organisation, if it can corrupt that easily, why risk losing customer records?

Deployment Problems

The deployment of access has always been one of the top security concerns. It wasn’t deployed well when it was released and companies who have since adopted it haven’t deployed it well within their organisations. The longer they use access for, the bigger these vulnerabilities becomes. In reality, had the IT team deployed Microsoft access correctly at the start of using it I.E given specific people specific roles within the software as well as setting out permissions and passwords, a lot of the security vulnerabilities that you know see could have been avoided.

It Is Old

I know we’ve mentioned it a few times, but access is 30 years old. It was released in 1990 and hasn’t really changed with the times since. Companies have tried to upscale with it, but the reality is, it is an outdated piece of software and there are far more secure and technologically advanced database providers now available.

Final Thoughts

There is an array of vulnerabilities with Microsoft access and one of the most glaring is the patchwork that was done in the early stages of its existence. These patches have resulted in businesses and organisations who use access to not want to update their product for fear of corrupting the system and losing their data. There are also issues with deployment problems and businesses not securing their network as they think that access is backend application. In reality, Microsoft access is now an outdated product, that doesn’t provide the level of security that we know need on a daily basis.