help

For maximum security don't use Access.

If you do have to use Access make sure the Access database is placed in a folder outside of your web sites public folders so that it can not be downloaded by a hacker.

If a hacker can download the Access database then you have no security over your forum being hacked.

If you mean using a system DSN, then this is slower and un-supported by web wiz forums.

What you need to do is find if your host has a private database folder outside of the public folder for your site to place databases in.

All web hosts now adays have a folder like this for placing Access databases in so that they can not be downloaded by a hacker.

Contact your web host and findout where this folder is.

The only way to be totally secure is get your web host to set read only permissions on all publicly viewable files within your web site.

Also make sure all passwords including forum admin, FTP, etc. are difficult to guess and contain letters and numbers.

If you think your site has been hacked then you should delete all files on your site and re-upload them, incase a hacker has placed a file on the server giving them back-door access to control your site and files.

They may have disguised the file using the same name as a file you already have for your site.

The only safe way is to completely delete all files on your site and upload original files again.