Can user list be kept secure if we contract someone to work on our site?
 

Is it possible to hire a VBulletin coder/programmer to work on our site while keeping our user list secure?

Or would an experienced VBulletin programmer know how to access it anyway if they really wanted to?

Thanks.

They'll generally know how to access it anyway. If you give them access to the database, or even just the filesystem they'll be able to get whatever they want to find.

You could not keep your userlist secure, as they could simply write some code to access it.

I guess your only way is to setup some test forums with a copy of your live database - clear down the users and get them to document their work to such a state you can add it to your live environment.

Possible - but youll need to pay more as the documentation takes time.

You should only hire someone that you trust to work on your site, and most reputable coders wouldn't do anything to damage their reputation, which includes things like harvesting user details or spamming your members.

Always check someone out totally before hiring them to do some work on your site, and don't be afraid to tell someone that you don't want them to do the work. If in doubt, don't use them, find someone else.

Thanks everyone for your reply.