When you create PDF documents from your IBM Lotus Notes / Domino content you will most probably need to prevent unauthorised access, restrict sensitive operations, or apply certain permissions.

Encryption may also be required to guard against disclosure of sensitive information in the case of loss or theft.

The main goal of any secure PDF approach is to secure PDF files so that they can be distributed amongst trusted recipients reliably, no matter what PDF viewer is used.

In this article we'll take a look at the options available for securing PDF documents and as we (at Primeapple) use our DominoPDF application for Notes To PDF conversion we'll use this when demonstrating how PDF security can be achieved, however the same features apply no matter how the PDF is generated.

Secure PDF With Passwords

Passwords give you a quick way to restrict access to opening a PDF document and manipulating its content to people who have the required passwords used to secure the PDF file.

As with any password based approach the PDF security relies on the choice of good passwords. By setting a strong password policy in your organisation, such as combining numbers and letters, making passwords 8 or more characters long, not using common dictionary words alone etc., you minimise the risk of passwords being found out or compromised.

With PDF password security, it is possible to specify different passwords to open (Open or User Password) and modify (Permission or Owner Password) a PDF document. You can allow one set of users to open a PDF document, and another set to make unrestricted changes.

Open (or User) Passwords

Open passwords lock your PDF document so only people with the correct password can actually open the file and read the contents.

To set the Open password with DominoPDF, pass the password value to the DoPDF() method using the UserPassword= setting.

Call DoPDF(

sURL,

sPDF,

"UserPassword=secret")

Permission (or Owner) Passwords

Permission passwords lock particular functionality when a user opens the PDF document. For example, you can stop someone copying text from a PDF document or stop them from printing the PDF document to a hard copy.

To set the Permission password with DominoPDF, pass the password value to the DoPDF() method using the OwnerPassword= setting.

Call DoPDF(

sURL,

sPDF,

"UserPassword=secret;

OwnerPassword=secret")

PDF Permissions

When the permission password specified above is used, permission settings can be made to define what a user can or cannot do once they have opened the PDF document.

Below is a list of each permission and how they affect the document and a users usage.

PDF Printing Allowed Permission

None: Prohibits all printing.

Low resolution (150 DPI): Allows printing, but only at a low resolution.

High resolution: Allows full printing privileges.

PDF Changes Allowed Permission

None: Prohibits all changes to the document.

Inserting, deleting and rotating pages: Allows the insertion, deletion, and rotation of pages.

Filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields: Prohibits changes to the PDF document, but allows the addition of form data, and digital signatures.

Commenting, filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields: Allows for the addition of comments, form data, and digital signatures.

Any except extracting pages: Allows all changes except for the extraction of pages.

PDF Copying Permission

Off: Prohibits users selecting text or graphical objects, which would

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