This is less of a tech question and more of a policy question. Recently, where I work, the HR Manager was let go and she had a number of password protected company files that she never told anyone the password. We (the IT department) have been asked to crack the password (it’s a protected MS word doc). Our response to them has been that it’s not a technology problem but rather a department problem.
I know there are password cracking programs out there, that’s not the question. My question is what are the typical policies regarding these matters? What, if any, are the legal concerns? (They are company owned files so I would ascertain that it would be within a companies legal right to remove the protection by bypassing it, but I could be wrong)
I’m sure this is a loaded question, but being new to the office/corporate environment I would love some community input on this.