A

Anonymous

Question

"PDF Complete"

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
September 13, 2017
2 replies
3397 views

Hi, I needed to sign a PDF from a vendor, it was locked, vendor (who shall remain nameless for fear of litigation) told me to use a program called PDF Complete. Somehow, totally cross platform this program now throws a watermark on every new .PDF file I receive, any OS. Original install was on Win 10, it even shows up on Android, Apple, Chromebook. It does not show up on previously saved "to disk" files, just on newly downloaded files. The watermark asks for money to remove the program. PDF Complete does not show up under program uninstall or under any program directories. I know it is not an Adobe product, but, trust me, the vendor who recommended it is a big name, this could overtake all pdf files in no time. I have contacted the vendor and they claim innocence.

TIA,

Rick

"pdf complete" watermark

This topic has been closed for replies.

~graffiti

Legend

This is between you, the vendor and the creators of PDFComplete.

nookane wrote
I know it is not an Adobe product, but, trust me, the vendor who recommended it is a big name, this could overtake all pdf files in no time.

Not sure what you mean by that exactly. I don't think Adobe is too worried about them taking over the pdf world any time in the near future (especially when things don't work properly).

A

Anonymous

What I mean by taking over is if large corporations are recommending the

installation of this software, there will come a time shortly we're all

PDFs will be at risk. Is very obviously cross platform. I am somewhat

knowledgeable about IT in general, it puzzles me how my Chromebook can

download an email off the server and somehow know that my PC has malware

installed? There is a ton of software out there that will remove watermarks

from PDFs, all of them malware or phishing attempts at best.

HP infected tens of thousands of machines oh, 5 or 6 years ago a removal

tool that worked existed at that time. Dealing with it at that time was

Child's Play, you know, startup programs, uninstall a listed app or

program, running a hidden uninstall program in the program files directory.

This all seems to have been gotten around, I suspect a JavaScript is used

but cannot find it to prove it.

Thanks,

Rick

~graffiti

Legend

nookane wrote
What I mean by taking over is if large corporations are recommending the
installation of this software, there will come a time shortly we're all
PDFs will be at risk.

And how do you propose that Adobe stops this? It has been going on for a very long time. They can't keep anyone from creating a pdf viewer and they can't keep uninformed companies from recommending those pdf readers. What I CAN say is that eventually those companies will find themselves in hot water if they are recommending inferior or damaged products. Eventually, people will stop listening to them. The problem solves itself.

Bernd Alheit

Community Expert

Do you have any question about Acrobat Reader?

A

Anonymous

Well yes Bernd, this deals directly with Acrobat Reader. I'm not a total

noob, a rather large corporation that deals with, I don't know, let's say

20% of the population each year recommended the install of this program.

PDF Creator supposedly can be used to unlock locked PDFs. I was told to use

it, I trusted the individual to be knowledgeable about computer software. I

now cannot download any PDF on any platform. The "ransomware" watermarks,

very conspicuously, every page of any PDF that I download. I think that if

a solution is not found for this PDF will be history as a universal secure

format. This program is unavailable to uninstall, has no files, easily

detectable, in the program files section of windows. The totally weird

thing that I cannot understand is that once I downloaded the PDF in Windows

I could no longer download a clean copy on any OS that I tried. The

app/program was not installed on my iPad or Android device yet the

watermark appears there also.

I read many historical articles like about 5 or 6 years back on how to

remove, they all are useless, apparently the villain who wrote this malware

has gotten better at hiding it. If someone out there knows how to remove it

it would be greatly appreciated. I am in process of too complicated legal

matters in which PDFs are flying into my inbox at an astronomical rate,

every one of them infected. Who knows what happens if I send one to

somebody that does have the watermark?

TIA,

Rick

Bernd Alheit

Community Expert

PDF Complete adds the watermarks, not Acrobat Reader.

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