PDF Unlocker And Its Current Market Demand
Portable Document Format or PDF, as they are better known, are one of the most adopted document formats and considered highly secure. The Adobe introduced document format gained this reputation amongst users worldwide for a number of reasons that includes; information in text, image, hyperlinks, etc., can be added, the document can be published for online reading purpose, portable, OS independent and great security measures. Provided security measures of the document is one such aspect that exceeds all the others. It is the security that PDF file provides that makes it suitable for online publishing purposes and legal usage.
Nevertheless, security clearly isn’t only the requirement of enterprises or legal departments but, of regular users too. Thus, PDF files clearly conform to the requirement of all user types regardless. However, this greatly appreciated security measures could turn a situation uncomprehending. In simple words, on losing access to the security, one can permanently lose access to their data. The following segment brings out the entire situation in detail along with provisions to tackle it.
Security: The Inevitable Requirement
In the current scenario, everything comes secondary to security measures. Rising digital offenses being carried out on a daily basis has made security an inevitable requirement. Thus, PDF Files also offer security measures for protecting information stored within from uninvited users and visitors on documents published online.
This also makes it easier for the author of the document to maintain copyright issues however, not completely, as third party utilities have made that possible too.
Portable Document & Security Measures
Adobe Acrobat Pro offers its users to protect their document and its content in every possible way. The program offers two levels of security to be applied on to the document:
- User Level
- Owner Level
User Level makes sure that users other than the author of the document are not permitted to open the document at all. On the other hand, Owner Level protection makes a little exception by offering access to the document but restricting certain rights like; copying, editing, or printing its content.
Security As Per The Need
This allows users to mold their document security the way they desire. A user who has a highly confidential data stored in their PDF can protect it with a User Level password, in which case, even the document preview (on file icon) is replaced with Adobe’s Logo.
Whereas, a user who wants to publish a document online for public viewing purpose but wants to restrict the visitors from performing activities with or involving the contents of the document can apply Owner Level protection on it.
Losing the key to any of the two protection levels applicable can leave a user stranded where multiple numbers of approaches are made to regain the document access by any means.
Multiple Approaches Made To Unlock PDF Files
Thanks to the technological development, users are provided the possibility to break into their own document, if the access is lost by any means; corruption or loss of password. PDF files come under the same category and are made available with a number of possible solutions to break the security (for legal purposes) for regaining lost access to the document.
Indirect Approach: Though Google Drive was introduced with the purpose of providing Cloud storage of documents. However, technology enthusiasts found a way to use it for other purposes as well one of which is as a “PD Unlocker”.
By uploading a protected PDF document on the Google Drive and converting it, instantly brings back the document into an unlocked form.
Limitation: The procedure depends on the internal bandwidth and is strictly internet based, i.e. dependable on an active internet connection. Apart from that, even the formatting it was originally maintained in will be lost in the process.
Freeware Online Approach: Later, online service in the form of websites offering to unlock your PDF files for free came into being. This PDF unlocker approach became quite famous instantly as it was user friendly and absolutely free of cost.
All you have to do is browse and upload the locked PDF from your machine on to the website and download the unlocked copy then and there or receive a download link on your email account (asked for).
Limitation: It too came with certain limitations, but unfortunately with some negatives too. You could only upload a document of a certain size and not more than that. Moreover, the uploaded document eventually got stored on the website’s server which made your information vulnerable to cybercrime. And the (optionally) provided email ID could be used for spamming your account.
Safest Approach: Third party applications from vendors seemed to be the safest approach to most. You could download the tool directly on to your machine that means the document will remain safe and within your access only. And the fact that no file size limit will be applicable, made it more friendly PDF Unlocker solution to adopt.
PDF Unlocker is amongst the many external applications that are available for unlocking PDF files from Owner level restrictions without the user having to come across any inconvenience in the process.
