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Adobe Acrobat Pro Topic 5

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31 views16 pages

Adobe Acrobat Pro Topic 5

Uploaded by

Kamohelo Moloi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Adobe Acrobat Pro

Adobe: Acrobat Pro and Photoshop


VGAP
Topic 5: Digital Signatures and Document Security
Topic 5: Digital Signatures and Document Security

• Adding and Managing Digital Signatures


• Password Protection and Encryption
• Controlling Access and Permissions
Signing a PDF
• You can sign a document to confirm its contents or approve it.
• This can be done in Adobe Acrobat or Reader using various methods:

Ways to Sign a PDF


• Type your name
• Draw your signature
• Insert an image of your handwritten signature
• Bonus: You can also add text like your name, company, title, or date. Once saved, the signature
becomes part of the PDF.
Signing a PDF cont.
Removing Your Signature
To delete a saved signature in Acrobat:
• Open the PDF.
• Select your signature.
• Click Delete from the floating toolbar.
Signing a PDF cont.
SIGNATURE SYNC FEATURE
• With the new signature sync feature, you can easily capture your handwritten signature on a mobile
device and use it across desktop, web, and mobile when signing documents.

How to Capture Your Signature on Mobile


• Open a PDF in the Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app.
• From the menu tap Sign and select Add Signature (or remove an old one first).
• Choose one of the following options:
• Use your camera to take a picture of your signature.
• Draw your signature by hand.
• Upload an image of your signature.
• Toggle Save online and tap Done.
• Once stored in the cloud, your signature is accessible on desktop, web, and mobile apps
Security
PASSWORD SECURITY IN PDFs
• You can protect a PDF by setting passwords and restricting actions like printing and editing. However,
users can still save copies of the file with the same restrictions.

Types of Passwords:
• Document Open Password: Requires a password to open the PDF.
• Permissions Password: Controls editing, printing, and copying but allows users to open the document
without a password.
Security cont.
PASSWORD SECURITY IN PDFs
How to Add a Password to a PDF
• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
• Go to All Tools > Protect a PDF > Protect with Password.
• Choose whether to restrict Editing or Printing and set a strong password.
• Click Apply to save the changes.

Restrict Editing, Printing, and Copying


• You can prevent users from modifying the document by setting restrictions.
• Options include:
• No printing or low/high-resolution printing
• No editing or limited changes (like filling forms or adding comments)
• No copying of text/images
Security cont.
PASSWORD SECURITY IN PDFs
Encryption and Compatibility
• PDFs can be encrypted for extra security.
• Choose a compatible encryption level based on the recipient's Acrobat version (e.g., Acrobat 6 uses
128-bit RC4, while Acrobat X uses 256-bit AES encryption).

Removing Password Security


• If you have the correct permissions, you can remove a password under Set Security Properties in
Acrobat.
Security cont.
PROTECTED VIEW
What is Protected View?
• Protected View is a security feature in Adobe Acrobat that opens PDFs in a restricted environment
(sandbox) to minimize security risks.
• It prevents harmful content from affecting your system, especially when dealing with files from the
internet or unknown sources.

How It Works
• When enabled, PDFs are isolated in a secure mode.
• You can still view, scroll, and click links, but advanced features (e.g., editing or saving) are restricted.
• If a file comes from an untrusted source, Acrobat will show a warning message asking if you want to
trust it.
Security cont.
PROTECTED VIEW
Protected View vs. Protected Mode
• Protected View (Acrobat): Extra security when opening PDFs in stand-alone Acrobat or a web
browser.
• Protected Mode (Reader): A similar security feature in Adobe Reader.

Enabling or Disabling Protected View


• Go to Preferences → Security (Enhanced).
• Check Enable Enhanced Security.
• Choose an option:
• Off (Disabled by default)
• Files From Potentially Unsafe Locations (Enables protection for untrusted files)
• All Files (Enables protection for all PDFs)
Remove or Redact Sensitive Content in PDFs
• Before sharing a PDF, it is important to remove confidential or hidden information that could reveal
sensitive details, such as personal data, metadata (author name, creation date), or hidden elements
(JavaScript, form fields).
• Adobe Acrobat provides tools to redact (permanently remove visible content) and sanitize (remove
hidden data).
Remove or Redact Sensitive Content in PDFs cont.
HOW TO REDACT TEXT AND IMAGES IN PDFs
• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
• Select Redact a PDF from the All Tools menu.
• Mark the content for redaction by selecting text or images.
• Preview the redaction marks (optional).
• Apply the redaction and confirm the removal.
• Save the file (Acrobat adds "_Redacted" to the filename to avoid overwriting the original).
• Tip: You can apply redaction to repeating elements (e.g., headers/footers) across pages.
Remove or Redact Sensitive Content in PDFs cont.
FINDING & REMOVING SPECIFIC WORDS OR PHRASES
• Use the Find Text & Redact tool to locate and remove specific words (e.g., names, credit card
numbers).
• Supports:
• Single word or phrase
• Multiple words or phrases (from a list)
• Pattern-based searches (phone numbers, emails, etc.)
• Apply and save to permanently remove the text.
Remove or Redact Sensitive Content in PDFs cont.
REMOVING HIDDEN DATA FROM PDFs
• Hidden information can include metadata, comments, form fields, and layers.
• To remove it:
• Open the PDF and go to Redact a PDF > Sanitize Document.
• Selectively remove hidden items or remove all at once.
• Save the file to apply changes permanently.

• Types of Hidden Data That Can Be Removed:


• Metadata (author, keywords)
• Comments & markups
• Form fields (fillable fields, signatures)
• Hidden text & layers
• JavaScript, links, and actions
• Deleted or cropped content
Remove or Redact Sensitive Content in PDFs cont.
KEY REDACTION LIMITATIONS
• Redaction is permanent – Once saved, content cannot be recovered.
• Only visible content is removed – Use Sanitize Document to remove hidden data.

Visit the link to learn more about customising redaction appearance:


https://helpx.adobe.com/africa/acrobat/using/removing-sensitive-content-pdfs.html
Bibliography
• Learn Acrobat Pro. (2025). Adobe.com. https://www.adobe.com/za/learn/acrobat?locale=en-
ZA&learnIn=1
• Adobe Acrobat User Guide. (2023). Adobe.com. https://helpx.adobe.com/africa/acrobat/user-
guide.html

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