Intuit - QuickBooks
Encryption Error Warning Message
Despite recent QuickBooks maintenance updates that profess to be resolving problems associated with ‘encryption errors’, QuickBooks users continue to report (on what appears to be an increasing frequency and severity basis) issues with Encryption related data corruptions. These errors are being reported in QuickBooks Enterprise-13 even running the R12 update/patch, and QuickBooks Enterprise-14 running R5.
One must wonder if QuickBooks is really working on the cause and cure for those problems? For example the R7 release for QuickBooks Enterprise-13 last year reportedly, “Resolved multiple issues related to encryption/decryption errors”, the same release also improved ‘logging’ of these problems in the QBWin.log file. Seems kind of weird to me that they would improve logging of issues that were supposedly ‘resolved’?
Figure 1 shows an example of a message a user may experience when they attempt to edit or use a particular record for an Account (such as a Bank Account), a Customer (involving the Credit Card Number or related information on file), a Vendor (where a Employer Identification Number was recorded), or an Employee (whose social security number has become corrupted). Another critical form of corruption associated with encryption/decryption failure involves QuickBooks User Accounts and Passwords.
It is important for QuickBooks users to understand that this type of data damage is almost like a ‘human virus or cancer’ within your QuickBooks Company file. Once it begins, it can quickly multiply spreading not only within the same ‘type of data’ (such as credit card numbers) but also spreading into other data that is typically encrypted (such as EINs, or SSNs).
Worse yet, the QuickBooks Rebuild utility can actually produce additional damage of this type if even a single corrupted record remains within the database prior to the Rebuild. Because the QuickBooks Verify utility reports this damage like many other forms, indicating that the user’s file had data damage and needs to be rebuild, unless users are aware of these types of encryption errors ahead of time, they may run the Rebuild without giving any thought to how their data can be further damaged simply by using Rebuild to attempt to resolve the problem.
In Intuit’s KBA SLN71415, they report that running the rebuild can “…can cause data damaged beyond repairable.” I think they mean that the Rebuild can actually result in so much damage it makes the file virtually unrepairable.
Experience has shown the ability to repair these file depends on a couple of things. First, the ability to identify and remove all corrupted data from and then repair the affected fields. Second, the ability to recover the original data from source records, not the least of which is the QBW.tlg file or a prior QuickBooks back-up file. In those cases it may be possible for a professional file repair service to ‘thread’ the original uncorrupted data back into the previously corrupted fields once those fields have been repaired.
Of course if the amount of damage is limited, QuickBooks users or ProAdvisors may be able to repair the data manually following the procedures outlined in Intuit’s above referenced KBA. So how do you determine the damaged records? Well one commonly available answer is the QBWin.log file; but as I have previously written extensively about accessing, using and interpreting the QBWin.log, I will not elaborate on those procedures here.
I will say that recently the QBWin.log has been expanded and enhanced in maintenance updates, and part of those enhancements is to provide improved information by which to identify corruptions of this type; however, the information in cases of extensive corruption is so jumbled together (as can be seen below) that it can be difficult at best to read by an experienced reviewer and almost impossible for an everyday QuickBooks user.
An Excerpt from a QBWin.log showing Encryption type data corruption:
prefuser.c (7674): MESSAGE: 2808: Mon Mar 24 12:54:13 LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetMasterKey Failed: The decryption has failed. for user ###############
prefuser.c (7763): MESSAGE: 2808: Mon Mar 24 12:54:13 LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetDataAccessKey Failed: The decryption has failed.
TaskTracking.cpp (764): CHECKPOINT: 2808: Mon Mar 24 12:58:28 Cumulus:Form (Error) Message:QuickBooks found a problem with the Employee Social Security Number\r\nfield for Natalie MXXXXXXXXX.\r\n\r\n This field contains sensitive information and must be fixed. To learn how, please refer to This Support Article.
DMEDLEditListElement.cpp (128): CHECKPOINT: 2808: Mon Mar 24 13:05:14 Decryption error in Account Routing Number for 'Chase Checking': No new data access key was found for the specified sensitive data type.
TaskTracking.cpp (764): CHECKPOINT: 2808: Mon Mar 24 13:05:15 Cumulus: Form (Error) Message:QuickBooks found a problem with the Account Routing Number\r\nfield for Chase Checking.\r\n\r\n This field contains sensitive information and must be fixed. To learn how, please refer to This Support Article.
PerformanceMeasure.cpp (111): CHECKPOINT: 2808: Mon Mar 24 13:05:18 Event:{"Form":"Message:","Extra":"QuickBooks found a problem with the Account Routing Number\r\nfield for Chase Checking.\r\n\r\n This field contains sensitive information and must be fixed. To learn how, please refer to This Support Article.","Window":"Error"}; wall time: 3790.51 ms, busy: 3741.31 ms.
prefuser.c (29223): CHECKPOINT: 2808: Mon Mar 24 13:05:18 Account Bank/Routing Number verification failure for Account ID: 43, Account Name Chase Checking
(Note: Some data in the above examples pulled from a QBWin.log file may have been changed, omitted or redacted for security purposes.)
Remember, if you experience ANY encryption/decryption data damage either displayed via the warning messages shown in figure 1, or reported in the QBWin.log file following the Verify Utility, DO NOT run the Rebuild Data Utility until you consult a qualified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Technical Support or a professional QuickBooks Data File repair service.
In conclusion, it appears that the past encryption/decryption errors associated with QuickBooks, especially QuickBooks Enterprise-13 and Enterprise-14 still exists, they have not been resolved by any recent updates. Intuit has issued multiple knowledge based articles including KBA (SLN71415), which serve as a good starting point for resolution of these problems or research regarding same.
It is essential if you experience any of these errors that you do not ignore them and that you take immediate steps toward resolution. These steps may need to go beyond those published in the above referenced KBA and you may need to seek the assistance of a qualified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and/or QuickBooks Data Specialist to assist you in proper repairs (without using the QuickBooks Rebuild Utility) before seriously compromising your company file.