Error: QBwin.log: LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetDecryptedCreditCardNumber The decryption has failed

Learn how to fix the following errors displayed in the QBWin.log when the Verify Data utility fails.

• LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetDecryptedCreditCardNumber Failed: The decryption has failed. CHECKPOINT: Failed to decrypt customer's credit card number. Customer ID: nnnn
• LVL_ERROR--Unable to decrypt social security number/Social Security number

These errors are due to damage in the encryption of sensitive fields such as credit card numbers, social security or Social Security, and bank accounts.

Solution 1: Check the QuickBooks Admin user for damage

1. Sign in to your company file as the Admin.
2. Change the Admin password.
3. QuickBooks will re-encrypt the data in your file. Note that this may take several minutes.
   Important: If QuickBooks crashes while encrypting, contact us. We may need to send your file to Data Services to remove all sensitive information from the file.
4. Sign out from your company file. Go to File, then select Close Company or Logoff, then close QuickBooks.
5. Reopen QuickBooks and sign in as the admin to complete the re-encryption process.

Check if the re-encryption is successful

1. Run the Verify Data utility.
2. Check the most recent entry in the log file.
3. If you see any of the following errors, contact us to send your file to the Data Services for repair. If not, proceed to Solution 2.
   1. LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetMasterKey Failed: The decryption has failed.
   2. LVL_SEVERE_ERROR--GetDataAccessKey Failed: The decryption has failed.

Important: Only send your file to Data Services if the Admin user gets the Masterkey error. If the error applies to non-admin users, you need to delete and recreate the users affected.

Solution 2: Repair damaged encrypted fields

Use the following steps to fix missing or damaged encrypted fields. While these steps are specific to credit card numbers, you can use similar procedures for repairing Vendor Tax IDs or Employee SSNs.

Step 1: Run the Verify Data utility

Check for any possible data damage using the Verify Data utility.

Step 2: Look for the error message in QBWin.log

Check the error message in the QBWin.log to see what is affected.

1. Find the QBWin.log and save it to any location you can easily access like your Desktop.
2. Right-click the QBWin.log file. Select Open with, then choose Notepad.
3. Note the Customer names and IDs that appears in the QBWin.log.

Step 3: Edit the credit card number of affected customer

Editing the credit card number removes the damaged data. If a lot of customers are affected, you can check Use advanced import to override damaged credit card info. This way you can do it efficiently.

1. From the Customers menu, select Customer Center.
2. Select the small arrow ▼ icon above the search bar, then choose All Customers.
3. Find the name of the Customers or Jobs you took note of.

   If the name of the Customer or Job isn't on the list

   1. Export your Customer list as an IIF file.
   2. Right-click on the IIF file. Select Open With, then choose Microsoft Excel or any text editor.
      Note: If you get a prompt when opening the file, select Next. Under the Delimiter section, Mark Other: and place an apostrophe ('). Leave the rest unmarked, then select Finish.
   3. On the Spreadsheet, check if the Customer ID you took note of in the log file matches any Customer ID under the REFNUM column. Take note of the names of the Customer that has a match.
4. Double-click the Customer or Job to edit, then go to the Payment Settings tab.
5. Enter a 16-digit dummy credit card number and expiration date, then select Ok.
6. Go to the Payments Settings tab again.
7. Enter the correct credit card number and expiration date, then select Ok.

Step 4: Verify if data no longer has errors

Run the Verify Data utility again. This will tell if the issue is fixed.

• If there are no problems detected, the problem is fixed.
• If the Verification fails, check the QBwin.log for other errors that caused the verification to fail. If you still see Customers showing, then repeat Step 3.

Note: If you encounter "Verify Error: QuickBooks found a problem with the Acct #/Card #/Note field for other asset", you need to check for a damaged Admin user or manually edit the information.