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PDF Passwords and Security

PamalaSmith
Registered: Oct 7 2007
Posts: 2

I am actually doing a presentation for a Computer Security class and I need to know where passwords are saved - particularly when one is trying to secure or sign a pdf document. Are they saved locally?

My Product Information:
Reader 8, Windows
Dimitri
Expert
Registered: Nov 1 2005
Posts: 1389
Hi PamalaSmith,

Passwords applied with Acrobat to a PDF document are stored inside the PDF itself, not on the users's system locally. Also, the password inside the PDF is stored as a hash, so it is not available for examination by someone viewing the document, even the author of the PDF. Lots of people ask this because they forget the password they used for a particular PDF file and want to know how to find it- the simple answer is they can't and need to recreate the PDF from the source file ( the application the document was created in before converting to PDF).

Hope that helps,

Dimitri
WindJack Solutions
[url=http://www.windjack.com]www.windjack.com[/url]