How Can I Disallow Sending a PDF Document via Email?

[kjv1611]

I'm using Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard.

I've gotten the test document setup in such a way that at least the typical person could not print it, send it as an email attachment, nor save the file within Adobe Reader 8.

However, if that same person were to open the file with Foxit PDF reader, they could email it as an attachment (though they can't do the others).

What I want to know is if there is a way to specifically disallow a pdf file from being sent as an attachment from within the pdf application? For Adobe, I just had to check the box next to "hide menu bar" and "hide tool bars", but leave "hide window controls" unchecked.

But of course, Foxit reader, and I'd imagine others, don't recognize the code for the display defaults. So for those, I'd need something else. I did not see an option under security for disabling email. Is there any way to do so?

The PDF files will be shared via a SharePoint site. So if there is some other better way of locking them down via SharePoint, that'd be fine as well.

I'll post more detail if need be. Thanks for any suggestions.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[kjv1611]

Any ideas?

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[eugenetyson]

Your problem here is that file is a pdf. In that the pdf is indeed a file. You can't stop someone attaching a file, they could easily zip it and send it that way, but you'd need to control their attachment options on what file formats they can send and receive.

You can attach a password security to the PDF in which Printing is restricted/prohibitied, that it can't be opened without a password.

In each case, passwords can be cracked, pdfs can be hacked with other pdf editing/reading software. So it's never entirely safe.

What I'm saying is there is no fool proof way to do what you want to do. And it can be circumevented. However, it would be implausible to say that people can't email it, because they could.

http://www.doozler.blogspot.com/

 

[kjv1611]

Yes, I was just hoping I was overlooking something that would at least disallow it from a permissions issue (without password being cracked).

However, I found for our purposes, I was able to do enough, simply by setting the view to hide the 2 Adobe toolbars, and then password protect changing the document. However, if I had hidden the Explorer toolbar as well, it would then show the file, etc, menus, and therefore people could email from there. So, I show the Explorer bar, and hide the other 2, password protect, and it's good to go.

Yes, it can be cracked/access by someone who really wants to get to it, and is going to spend the effort/time. But for what we're protecting, it isn't really something of national security. Just one of those things: "what if?", as far as someone misusing the information. I'm confident it's safe enough for our purposes.

Thanks for the thoughts, eugenetyson.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[eugenetyson]

Your best bet if you don't want people to download it is to make it an interactive flash file, although these can be downloaded too, they are a bit more secure.

The way you have solved it is moot, as you can just press escape to bring back the tool bars.

http://www.doozler.blogspot.com/

 

[kjv1611]

eugenetyson,

What version of Acrobat or Reader are you using? I tried with Reader 8.1 and Acrobat Standard 8.1, and with neither of them was I able to press <Esc> to reveal the toolbars.

The flash file was an idea I thought of personally. And I do think that would end up being the best method for protection. I'm just not sure how it's supported, or whether everyone would agree to it.

On the other hand, one thing I did find (I should have noticed before) was that being these will be opened with the web browser (IE 6), they can always go to File -> Send -> Attachment via Email, and they bypass any protections already setup.

If the flash idea will get around that, then that is even more the reason to consider it.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[eugenetyson]

Bottom line is that you won't be able to stop people sending attachments, no matter what you do. It's a totally unworkable idea.

Perhaps it wasn't "esc" perhaps it's some other key/combination? But it can be done, that I know for sure. Just haven't got time to try and test it.

http://www.doozler.blogspot.com/

 

[kjv1611]

Yeah, I figured there would be a way. :0)

The SharePoint admin for our office said he thinks he can add in some additional protection at the location where the links will be "public" to the organization.

I would say that really, the protection is good enough, but we're just trying to do what we can to make the documents as secure as possible.

In reality, it's all internal to our organization, so it isn't as big a deal as many things we deal with, which in those cases, we just don't even attempt such wide-spread availability.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[eugenetyson]

Well as I said, "unless you can control what other people can and cannot attach".

You're still not applying a setting to the PDF, but rather to your own system to make the preventation possible.

Good look with it though, hope it works out.

http://www.doozler.blogspot.com/