Encrypt SQLITE database and use it with FireDac in a windows VCL application

Question

I am writing a Windows VCL desktop using c++ builder. The app uses Firedac and a SQLite database.

I want to protect this SQLite database:

Only my vcl app can connect to it and use it
Other programs and people cannot use the SQLite file

So far I found that the easiest thing that I can do is Encryption, you make it so that anybody without a correct password gets a message like "This file is not a database" if he tries to open it.

Yes we can do this with Embarcadero VCL, doc. using a TFDSQLiteSecurity component and these lines :

FDSQLiteSecurity1->Password = "";/* we are protecting (encrypting) our uncyphered database*/
FDSQLiteSecurity1->ToPassword = 'newpassword';   
FDSQLiteSecurity1->ChangePassword();

Unfortunately the VCL Firedac app cannot connect to an encrypted sqlite database so it must decrypt it first.

In order to make things work my program starts and decrypts the database ( removes password) then it connects to the database and use it. When finished I recrypt the database again (when closing app).

THE PROBLEM: During this time (My program is up and running and the database in uncrypted) can I stop other programs from opening the SQLITE database? Is there a better approach, I am opened for any suggestion

Brian Brian · Accepted Answer · 2019-11-21T18:46:47

Once it is encrypted by FireDac just set the appropriate properties on the FDConnection. Those would be password to the password and encrypt to the encryption method.

Firedac can open a SQLite database it has encrypted itself so the problem resolves itself by doing that as a better approach. Other programs only see the encrypted version on disk and can't open it without the password.

Encrypt SQLITE database and use it with FireDac in a windows VCL application

1 Answers