Checking a document’s security settings

You can check the security settings in effect for any PDF document you open in Acrobat 6 or Adobe Reader 6 (of course, you can tell immediately if the file requires a user password because you must supply this password before you can open the document in Acrobat or Adobe Reader). To check the security settings in effect, you choose Document➪Security➪Display Restrictions and Security.
When you select this command in Acrobat, the program opens a Document Properties dialog box with the security settings showing, where you can both review and change the settings. When you select this command in Adobe Reader (choose File➪Document Properties and click Security in the list box to display the security settings), the program simply lists all the settings in effect. The security settings in the Document Properties dialog box contain the Security Method drop-down list that shows you the type of security in effect.
This list can contain one of these three options:

• No Security: The document uses no protection at all.
• Password Security: The document uses a user password and/or master password and possibly restricts the type of edits.
• Certificate Security: The document is encrypted so that only trusted associates with digital certification can open and change it.

Beneath the Security Method drop-down list, you find a Document Restrictions Summary area that lists all the security options in effect. To the right of the Security Method drop-down list, you find the Change Settings button that enables you to change the security settings when either the Password Security or the Certificate Security option is selected in the Security Method drop-down list.