How to Protect PDF Today Blog

Think you can protect your pdf file by using a password? Think again. Many tech experts say using a password won’t stop the file from being opened, changed or deleted. Internet research you can easily do on Google will back this up (just Google search for ‘password protect PDF’).

Using a password protect pdf may work in a small office where networking isn’t a daily usage on your computers.  But security specialists say their experience shows several ways exist to break the password on your pdf file.  Why aren’t we surprised?  I’ll explain a couple of different ways that your file can be opened and compromised.

This is a very simple process – something to keep in mind when you are working hard to create your PDF documents.

Using a password protected PDF is a fallible process, because many programs can found on the Internet to break your password – no matter how long or strong that password is. Eventually it can easily be broken.

Most of these PDF-hack programs are free, or nearly so. As you can see by a quick Google search, there are many PDF password-breaking programs out there, which can be used to do almost anything a hacker or PDF thief needs to accomplish what they want to do, whether it be legal or otherwise.

PDF passwords can be retrieved by using several different programs found easily on the Internet. Amazingly, most of these PDF-breaking programs are considered legal. One in particular, is noted in the hacking community for doing its job extremely well.

While you may believe that by using a password you’ve protected your PDF file, it really isn’t protected at all.

Anyone with a little bit of curiosity and the willingness to find the correct steps to crack your password will have it done quickly.

The days of password-only security and protection are truly over.  Using a password alone to protect your PDF, while going a small way to increase your PDF security, is a sure way for your PDF text to be compromised.

If using a password alone, be very selective in the information you post in your PDF.

Always, be sure not to put personal information such as social security details, on any PDF file you are transferring to others, or saving on your computer.  All files that saved or protected with a password alone, can easily be accessed.  All it takes is a few minutes by even a semi-talented hacker to find the right password-breaking program to break the PDF file you worked so hard to create and protect.

Don’t allow this to happen to you!

When creating a PDF eBook, you need to be careful that PDF security concerns are adequately addressed.

Many eBook authors and producers today neglect to protect their PDF in a thorough manner, and end up regretting their PDF security decision later. Because in a few short weeks, hundreds, if not thousand of unauthorized copies of their PDF are sure to become available online.

How do PDF thieves manage to get around the PDF protection many eBook authors choose to use? The primary method most PDF authors use is the password method. That is, a special password they send to authorised users of the PDF file by email. Together with instructions to use this password to enable opening of the PDF file, this goes a small way toward preventing massive copying.

But the PDF password method to open a PDF file alone, can never be very effective, for the simple reason that the password can be easily passed along with the PDF file itself. As part of a single zip file, attached to the PDF file.

This is the main weakness in PDF security using a password, alone. It’s too easy for others to pass around.
What other solutions are there? Adobe Acrobat does have other, more complex PDF security methods, but they are quite complex. And Adobe Acrobat is not a cheap program to buy in the first place.

A number of alternate, more secure PDF protection methods are available that not only place a protective shell around your PDF document, they also offer real-time monitoring of who is opening your PDF file and how often.

This is offers much greater security because not only do you know that your PDF file has been opened, you can also withdraw user access to your PDF files at any time you want.

If you have a question about how enhanced PDF protection and security systems like these work, please take a look at these Frequently Asked PDF Security Questions.