Tooling Around
Password-protected PDFs
by Gloria McConnell
So, you have taken precautions to protect your PDF file by setting various limitations and requiring a password to allow changes to the settings. In some cases, you may want to require a password just to open the file. Adobe Acrobat allows you to password-protect the following actions:
» Opening a document
» Printing
» Changing the document
» Commenting
» Form field completion and signatures
» Document assembly
» Content copying
» Accessibility (text access for screen reader devices)
» Page extraction
Other PDF programs, such as Nitro PDF, provide similar security settings.
Your file is protected, right? Probably not, as discussed in the following paragraphs.
Crack the Code
Perhaps you have a legitimate reason to open (and/or copy from, change, print, or add comments in) a password-protected file, but do not have the password. I had such an experience recently. A PDF reference document for a course I’m taking is completely blocked except for printing. I would like to use highlighting and commenting in this file for my personal use, but I can’t.
Maybe you have a password-protected file and need to make a simple change. PDF-ing the source again might be a complex, time-consuming effort. You’re on a deadline and you have forgotten the password! (Or your coworker, who knows it, is on vacation in Tanzania.)
Enter PDF password-cracking software. Several companies offer it, including those in the following list. I tried the PDFKey Pro demo and it seemed to work like a charm (the demo allows you to unlock one page).
So, if you find yourself with a legitimate need to “get into” a password-protected PDF file, all may not be lost! Following are just three of the many products that will crack the PDF password(s) for you.
» Guaranteed PDF Decrypter
» PDFKey Pro
» Recover PDF Password Mac or PC
Beef up the Protection
On the other hand, if you need a protection code that can’t be cracked, turn to products such as:
» Lizard Safeguard
» Book Guard Pro
» CrypKey