PDF is the most popular format for distributing reports, ebooks and various document files on the Internet. One of the benefits of the filetype are the granular security options it lets you set for your files. In this post you'll find an overview of these features.
What does security mean here? Generally there are three types of document security (at least as far as PDFs are concerned) - author verification, access control and copyright protections. Lets examine all three in turn.
First, PDF supports digital signatures that let you verify that the file was created by who you think it was. This is immensely useful when dealing with important documents and secure correspondence. The signature doesn't forbid the viewers ability to interact with the file - it only helps them ensure they've got the real thing. However, this type of security is rarely used by the typical PDF users.
Access control means specifying who is allowed to open the document, how many times a .pdf can be viewed, etc. This feature can be very restrictive - for example, a document that is protected by a password can't be easily converted to Word. For access control, there are passwords and certificates. A password can either be used to restrict editing, or both editing and viewing. Certificates serve the same ends, but instead of a password that must be remembered there is a certificate file that the user employs for authorization.
The third and final type of PDF security features is copying permissions. These determine which parts, if any, you can print, copy or extract from the PDF. For example, you could create a document that can be viewed by anyone (no password), but that is protected from plagiarists and scrapers by a setting that forbids the extraction of text and images. However, note that a decent free PDF to Word converter may be able to convert the file anyway. The protection is somewhat illusory in any case because anything that can be viewed on the screen can (by design) be "copied" with a simple screenshot and some OCR software.
Overall PDF is a very secure document format, but be careful about what security features you pick for your files - some protection types may be an overkill and inconvevience to the end user, while other's may offer only an illusion of safety.
Similar Searches:
Filed under: General
Similar Searches:
pdf book on cd home security made easy selected tips, document conversion make any file format a secure pdf, hp arcsight esm security analyst updated test hp0m54 exam qa pdfsimulator, eccouncil certified security analyst ecsa test 41279 exam qa pdfsimulator, lifecycle security lcsas test 650575 exam qa pdfsim, ccspa security principles test 156110 exam qa pdfsim, mcse mcsa admin server 2003 security test 70299 exam 070299 qa pdfsimulator, new 2012 antivirus protection total internet security mcafee fyi pdf, new sealed nuance pdf create 7 retail box create secure pdfs, new nitro pdf express createconvertsecure documents, 2012 antivirus internet security 3 user norton fyi pdf, ciw v5 security essentials test 1d0571 qa exam pdfsim, security plus test sy0301 updated exam pdfsimulator, security plus 2008 test sy0201 exam qa pdfsimulator, ccnp security ccsp ips v70 test 642627 exam pdfsim, ccnp security ccsp vpn v10 test 642647 exam pdfsim, advanced security asam test 646578 exam pdfsimulator, ccie written test 350018 security exam pdfsimulator, ccna security iins test 640553 latest exam qa pdfsim, hcp hpux 11i v3 security test hp0p17 exam qa pdfsim, hcp openvms security admin test hp0276 exam pdfsim, hcp assessing web security test hp0m25 exam qa pdfsim, ccsa security ngx ii r65 test 15631565 exam q pdfsim, sy0301 security it certification exam qamp;a pdf exam simulator, security solution engineer ssse 642583 exam qa pdfsim, domino 8 security 190841 test lot841 exam qa pdfsim, web security field wsfe test 650568 exam pdfsimulator, ccnp iauws wireless security test 642736 exam pdfsim, mcse server 2003 design security network test 70298 exam 070298 pdfsimulator, security plus test jk0018 updated exam pdfsimulator, eccouncil ecsa security test ec0479 exam qa pdfsim, zmodo 4 ch cctv security ir camera dvr system no hard drive pdfdk40207, physical security professional psp exam test simulator pdf , gsec giac security essentials exam test simulator pdf , isc csslp certified secure software lifecycle pro exam test simulator pdf , ispws cisco ironport security professional web 650154 exam test simulator pdf , openvms security administration hp0276 exam test simulator pdf, hpux 11i v3 security administration hp0p17 exam test simulator pdf, assessing web application security hp0m25 exam test simulator pdf, lotus notes domino 8 implementing security 190841 lot841 exam test sim pdf, cwnp certified wireless security professional pw0204 exam test simulator pdf, apple mac os x security and mobility 106 9l0625 exam test simulator pdf, check point certified security administrator 15621565 exam test simulator pdf, ciw v5 security essentials 1d0571 exam test simulator pdf, ccsa check point certified security admin 15621570 exam test simulator pdf, cisco advanced security for account managers 646578 simulator exam test pdf, cisco web security field engineer specialist 650568 simulator exam test pdf, advanced cisco unified wireless security 642736 simulator exam test pdf, cisco security solutions for systems engineers 642583 simulator exam test pdf, certified information systems security pro cissp exam test simulator amp; pdf, information security foundation isoiec 27002 ex0105 exam test simulator amp; pdf, eccouncil certified security analyst ecsa ec0479 exam test simulator amp; pdf, isaca cism certified information security manager exam test simulator amp; pdf, isc sscp system security certified practitioner exam test simulator amp; pdf, checkpoint certified managed security expert 156815 exam test simulator amp; pdf, checkpoint certified managed security expert 156816 exam test simulator amp; pdf, checkpoint certified security principles ccspa 156110 exam test simulator amp; pdf, checkpoint certified security expert plus ngx 156515 exam test simulator amp; pdf, sun certified security administrator solaris 310303 exam test simulator amp; pdf, comptia security 2008 edition sy0201 exam test simulator amp; pdf, comptia bridge security br0001 exam test simulator amp; pdf, cisco lifecycle services advanced security 650575 exam test simulator amp; pdf, cisco advanced security for account managers 646563 exam test simulator amp; pdf, cisco security monitoring analysis respone 642545 exam test simulator amp; pdf, implementing cisco ios network security 640553 exam test simulator amp; pdf, cisco ccie security written 350018 exam test simulator amp; pdf, microsoft windows server 2003 network security 70299 exam test simulator amp; pdf, microsoft windows server 2003 network security 70298 exam test simulator amp; pdf, implementing hp network security solutions hp2z19 exam test simulator pdf , hp tippingpoint advanced technical security hp2z09 exam test simulator pdf , hp secure prescription printing solutions sales hp2b71 exam test simulator pdf , hp network infrastructure security hp0y40 exam test simulator pdf , comptia security certification sy0301 exam test simulator pdf , security professional jncipsec jn0632 exam test simulator pdf , comptia security certification jk0018 exam test simulator pdf , comptia security jk0015 exam test simulator pdf , oracle solaris 10 security administrator expert 1z0881 exam test simulator pdf , oracle database 11g security options essentials 1z0528 exam test simulator pdf , check point certified security expert r71 15691571 exam test simulator pdf , check point certified security expert r71 15631571 exam test simulator pdf , check point security administration ngx 15621565 exam test simulator pdf , security network intrusion prevention system 000561 exam test simulator pdf , tivoli security 000536 exam test simulator pdf compliance management solutions, security siteprotector v20 sp81 system 000533 exam test simulator pdf