Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hello! This question actually goes to Adobe and perhaps someone of them replies, but others may know something as well.
In Indesign, when I export to PDF, I set a password of 5 letters length. No problem at all.
Doing the same in the sort of latest Acrobat DC (document properties window) doesn't accept 5 letters and tells me it has to have 6 at least. Setting the password via a custom action I created would accept 5 letters.
I would like to know why Acrobat handle the password length so differently.
I mean, it's my decision to use short/long or simple/complex passwords. Well, I usually set the password in the Indesign export action, but sometimes it's skipped and then Acrobat has to help. There I either use the action or the document properties.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Acrobat recently changed to block such insecure passwords. Maybe one day InDesign will change too.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Thanks, but even if Indesign does it different to Acrobat, Acrobat also handles it differently in itself, as I wrote. Isn't this stupid? Next thing, like I wrote, why enforce long passwords? If users want to use insecure passwords, it's their decision.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
If users want to use insecure passwords, it's their decision.
By @Doc Maik
Yes and no. If a software vendor can protect users for using something insecure, it's nice when they do. And sometimes legal aspects even force them to do so.
So if I understand you correctly, when applying the password manually, it gets refused, but applying via a script it gets accepted. That lets me think, that the change is simply on the dialogue box, but the underlying code does not check again.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Insecure is relative. 5 years back five letter passwords were as easy to crack as today, but not considered a problem. I mean, it's a PDF, not a bank account. They already have this gauge that rates the password. Suddenly enforcing longer passwords is a change of spec.