DIY for freeware to remove the 128-bit encrypted user password in a PDF file

[Danny D]

What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?

I have an old 2009 tax document which is encrypted by the accountant
using my SSN as the password. I can't open the document with Adobe
Acrobat 6, because it is an Adobe Acrobat 7 document.

However, I can easily open the document just fine using Foxit Reader
6.0.6.0722 as I simply have to type in my SSN as the password.

I only wish to remove the password so I can burn the file to CDROM
along with my unprotected 2010, 2011, and 2012 tax PDF files (without
having to worry about always remembering what the password is, years
from now).

Googling for "freewar PDF password removers, I found this web review:
7 Free PDF Password Remover Tools
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/pdf-password-remover.htm

1. I download PDFCrack from:
http://blog.rubypdf.com/pdfcrack/pdfcrack-0.11.zip
and, I immediately notice it's a command-line executable "pdfcrack.exe".
The README file doesn't even have a .txt extension, so I add that.
The README.txt doesn't even say how to run the program.
So, guessing, I copy the PDF file to the installation directory, and,
open up a WinXP command line, and navigate to that directory to run:
C:\> pdfcrack.exe password_protected.pdf
"Error: Encryption not detected (is the document password protected?"
Hmmm... I know it's encrypted, so I move on to the next program.

MY RESULTS:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/9404541197_c8baf8923c_o.gif

2. Giving up on PDFCrack, I download the #2 program, GuaPDF Demo:
http://www.guapdf.com/download/guapdf32.zip
Unpacking that, I see the executable "Guapdf.Free.exe".
I doubleclick on that, and do a File->Open->password_protected.pdf
GuaPDF reports: "Analyzing file, please wait..." and then:
"password_protected.pdf is the compressed document with 128-bit
AES encryption (Acrobat 7 compatible)."
And then, it reports the error:
"This file uses 128-bit encryption, guaranteed decryption impossible.
If you now the password of this file, please open the file again
and enter it in the very bottom of window."
Hmmm... I try every permutation of what it could possibly mean to
"open the file again" and enter "it" into the bottom of the window,
and finally give up in total frustration.

MY RESULTS:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/9407332666_80ec297dca_o.gif

3. Giving up on GuaPDF, I skipped the #3 and #4 reputed PDF password
removers because they were online versions (and this is a tax file
after all).

Downloading the #5 reputed PDF password remover, PDF Password Remover:
http://www.pdf-technologies.com/downloads/passwordrecovery.exe

I doubleclick on the pdfpasswordrecovery.exe file, which intalls
"PDF Technologies, PDF Password Remover", which I execute, which
has an intuitive GUI asking to "Open PDF File", but, when I point it
to the protected PDF file, and press the "Convert" button, the error is:
"Cannot decrypt file. Invalid password."

Hmmm... how can that possibly be when it didn't even ask for the
password?
Anyway, I give up and move on to the #6 purported solution:

MY RESULTS:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9404629369_fe5dc0d2d6_o.gif

4. Giving up on PDF Password Remover, I move on to the #6 solution,
PdfCrypt:
which, after a few false starts due to the sleazy multiple download
button
confusion (they try to push a media player and an iMesh player), I find
the "real" PdfCrypt download button at:
http://blog.rubypdf.com/softs/pdfcrypt/pdfcrypt1.0.zip

Download and extracting the zip ball, at least the readme has a txt
extension,
and, that readme explains how to turn the command line program.
C:\>pdfcrypt.exe password_protected.pdf foo.pdf decrypt 11111111
Which elicted the error:
"PDF encrypt/decrypt
Reading password_protected.pdf
WARNING: could not properly read security provider files:
file:///mingw/lib/security/libgcj.security
file:///mingw/lib/security/classpath.security
Falling back to standard GNU security provider
java.io.IOException: trailer not found.
at 0x0056d7be (Unknown Source)
at 0x0056dcb2 (Unknown Source)
at 0x00549894 (Unknown Source)
... lots of these ...

Hmmm... there's nothing in the readme about it needing special java
code,
so, I give up on PdfCrypt, and move on to the #7 solution, PDF
Unlocker.

MY RESULTS:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7347/9404706117_133801f83b_o.gif

5. Giving up on PDFCrypt, I move on to the last of the "best" PDF password
removal tools, "PDF Unlocker". The sleaze downloads at the referral page
are so overwhelming that I can't even *find* the actual downloader for
"PDF Unlocker". Eventually, after many false starts, I end up at:
http://www.pdfunlock.com

Downloading & intalling & running that software, up comes the UPDF GUI,
where the sleaze starts in the GUI trying to sell me on all sorts of PDF
garbage. But I slug through it all, and try to provide the file name
but there is no File->Upload button, and when I hit the "add file"
button,
there is absolutely no option to upload a PDF at all!

Despite the file type set to "All Documents", there is absolutely no way
to load a PDF file! Worse yet, it changed all my file associations.

So, that's it. All 7 of the "top 7" failed for one reason or another.

MY RESULTS:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9407594402_47d5e2f20d_o.gif
Note: There is something funky about that GUI that Irfanview screenshot
wouldn't even snap a screenshot of it. It was like a ghost. I had
to use print-screen to capture this screenshot! hmmm....

6. Googling again for "how to remove password protection pdf document",
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/9407511292_9d1aa4ca66_o.gif

I find BeCyPDFMetaEdit mentioned here:
http://www.labnol.org/software/remove-pdf-password/20017/

The downloader for BeCyPDFMetaEdit is found here:
http://www.becyhome.de/download_eng.htm#becypdfmetaedit

Downloading, and installing, and running the program, and pointing it
to the PDF file was intuitive - yet - as always, an error occurs:
"The operation cannot be continued due to an error.
> c:\tmp\password_protected.pdf
Body unreadable
Unsupported security handler

MY RESULTS:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9407550386_a821bb7f80_o.gif

OK. I've done my homework. I failed, six times; but I at least tried before
asking the question below:

Q: How does one remove password protection from a PDF file?

[Danny D]

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:26:31 +0000, Danny D wrote:

> What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?

I tried GSView/GhostScript/ps2edit, but also failed.
This is weird, because I can quite easily read the password
protected with Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit PDF Reader.

Anyway, here is exactly what I tried:

1. I downloaded GPL Ghostscript 9.07 for Windows (32 bit or 64 bit):
http://www.ghostscript.com/download/gsdnld.html
Note: Ghostscript displays, prints, and converts PS & PDF files.

2. I downloaded GSView 5.0 for Windows (32 bit or 64 bit):
http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/get50.htm
Note: GSview uses Ghostscript to display, print, & convert PS/PDF files.

3. I downloaded ps2edit (although I probably did not need to):
http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/pstoedit.htm
Note: Ps2edit uses Ghostscript to convert PS or PDF to a vector format.

4. I ran each of those installers in the order downloaded above and
placed in a logical hierarchy, as always. For example:
c:\apps\editors\pspdf\gs (ghostscript)
c:\apps\editors\pspdf\gsview (ghostview)
c:\apps\editors\pspdf\pstoedit (ps2edit)

4. I brought up GSView by clicking on its shortcut & opened the password
protected PDF file:
File->Open->password_protected.pdf

5. Normally, I'd just run the next command:
File->Convert (pdfwrite, 600dpi, all pages, ok)

But, before I could run that conversion, I got the error:

GSview 5.0 2012-01-17
GPL Ghostscript 9.07 (2013-02-14)
Copyright (C) 2012 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
Scanning PDF file
**** This file requires a password for access.
Error: /invalidfileaccess in pdf_process_Encrypt
Operand stack:

Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --nostringval--
false 1 %stopped_push 1932 1 3 %oparray_pop 1931 1 3 %
oparray_pop 1915 1 3 %oparray_pop 1803 1 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- %errorexec_pop .runexec2 --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
Dictionary stack:
--dict:1182/1684(ro)(G)-- --dict:1/20(G)-- --dict:86/200(L)-- --
dict:109/127(ro)(G)-- --dict:292/300(ro)(G)-- --dict:22/32(L)--
Current allocation mode is local


GPL Ghostscript 9.07 (2013-02-14)
Copyright (C) 2012 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
Scanning PDF file
**** This file requires a password for access.
Error: /invalidfileaccess in pdf_process_Encrypt
Operand stack:

Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --nostringval--
false 1 %stopped_push 1932 1 3 %oparray_pop 1931 1 3 %
oparray_pop 1915 1 3 %oparray_pop 1803 1 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- %errorexec_pop .runexec2 --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- --
nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
Dictionary stack:
--dict:1182/1684(ro)(G)-- --dict:1/20(G)-- --dict:86/200(L)-- --
dict:109/127(ro)(G)-- --dict:292/300(ro)(G)-- --dict:22/32(L)--
Current allocation mode is local

Q: Does anyone have a hint for me as to why a password-protected PDF,
which I can open without problems in the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader
and Foxit PDF Reader, won't allow me to REMOVE that password?

[Laura Fredericks]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:26:31 +0000 (UTC), Danny D
<Dan...@example.com> wrote in post:

>What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?
>
>I have an old 2009 tax document which is encrypted by the accountant
>using my SSN as the password. I can't open the document with Adobe
>Acrobat 6, because it is an Adobe Acrobat 7 document.
>
>However, I can easily open the document just fine using Foxit Reader
> 6.0.6.0722 as I simply have to type in my SSN as the password.
>
>I only wish to remove the password so I can burn the file to CDROM
>along with my unprotected 2010, 2011, and 2012 tax PDF files
>(without having to worry about always remembering what the password
>is, years from now).

<snip>

The reason the password removers are not working is because your
accountant added a SECOND password, called a "Permissions" password.
This second password controls the document's security. Only your
accountant has that password. Without it, you can only open and
possibly print the document using the "Document" password, in your
case, your social security number.

In Adobe Acrobat you can VIEW the security settings your accountant
added to the document. ("Advanced", "Security", "Show Security
Properties".) I don't use any other PDF programs, so I don't know if
they allow you to VIEW the document's security.

If you want the security removed you'll have to ask your accountant
to send you the file again, adding only the "Document" password, i.e.
your social security number. When you receive the new file you can
remove the "Document" password using Adobe Acrobat. ("Advanced",
"Security", "Remove Security".) As stated above, I don't use any
other PDF programs, so I don't know where the option is to remove the
"Document" password.

Note, your accountant WILL NOT give you the "Permissions" password,
because that's what he/she uses for ALL documents he/she creates to
add an extra layer of security.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP 8.1 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com

iQA/AwUBUfjguqRseRzHUwOaEQJmoQCcCX2CTWqIMc/x9xG0o6qIyWHLnpMAoJDL
jYpk3Ho824y0CPK509NNxDXV
=+Run
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--
Laura Fredericks
PGP key ID - DH/DSS 2048/1024: 0xC753039A

Usenet Flamewars:
http://www.queenofcyberspace.com/usenet/

Remove CLOTHES to reply.

[Danny D.]

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:03:43 -0400, Laura Fredericks wrote:

> The reason the password removers are not working is because your
> accountant added a SECOND password, called a "Permissions" password.

Hi Laura,
Your description makes total sense, as I was perturbed that I
could easily open the document yet, all of the purported
password-removal programs barfed on it, ungracefully.

I have the Adobe Acrobat Writer 6 installed, and I *do* have a
CDROM of the Adobe Acrobat 7 somewhere - so if I can find it, I
will install it to see what the settings are.

Note: I had never bothered because, after upgrading one by one
(and paying for it) from Adobe Acrobat Writer version 3 or 4 or
whatever, up to 5 and 6 and then 7, I realized they were all
(essentially) the same. So I stopped buying the upgrades.

Anyway, I'm on Linux at the moment, and I'm away from home, so,
I will try what you suggested and report back when I'm back at
that Windows computer.

Thanks for explaining what was driving me crazy!

[Robert Heller]

Did you try PDF ToolKit:

www.pdftk.com

I don't know if there is a MS-Windows version, but I would guess so, there is
certainly a Linux version (I have it).

In the examples in its man page:


Decrypt a PDF
pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 / hel...@deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
() ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\ www.asciiribbon.org -- against proprietary attachments

[Laura Fredericks]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:15:31 -0500, Robert Heller
<hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote in post:

>Did you try PDF ToolKit:
>
>www.pdftk.com
>
>I don't know if there is a MS-Windows version, but I would guess so,
>there is certainly a Linux version (I have it).
>
>In the examples in its man page:
>
>Decrypt a PDF
>pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf

As I wrote in my other post, that won't work. In addition to the
regular password, the document also has a "Permissions" password.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP 8.1 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com

iQA/AwUBUfkcD6RseRzHUwOaEQJSUwCgl5w40R3SQrcBjGX6BoqBJL9558UAn0QG
FKD2/TCc2cX2mfJz2wCiiH6O
=sDjk

[Thip]

"Danny D" <Dan...@example.com> wrote in message
news:ktae76$5ms$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

> What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?
>
> I have an old 2009 tax document which is encrypted by the accountant
> using my SSN as the password. I can't open the document with Adobe
> Acrobat 6, because it is an Adobe Acrobat 7 document.
>
> However, I can easily open the document just fine using Foxit Reader
> 6.0.6.0722 as I simply have to type in my SSN as the password.
>
> I only wish to remove the password so I can burn the file to CDROM
> along with my unprotected 2010, 2011, and 2012 tax PDF files (without
> having to worry about always remembering what the password is, years
> from now).

<snip>

Why not burn it to the CD along with a txt file called "Password"?

[p-0''0-h the cat (ES)]

Too easy. This girl will never make it as a consultant. Ignore.

--
p-0.0-h the cat

Internet Terrorist, Mass sock puppeteer, Agent provocateur, Gutter rat,
Devil incarnate, Linux user#666, BaStarD hacker, Resident evil, Monkey Boy,
Certifiable criminal, Spineless cowardly scum, textbook Psychopath,
the SCOURGE, l33t p00h d3 tr0ll, p00h == lam3r, p00h == tr0ll, troll infāme,
the OVERCAT [The BEARPAIR are dead, and we are its murderers], lowlife troll,
shyster [pending approval by STATE_TERROR], cripple, sociopath, kook,
smug prick, smartarse, arsehole, moron, idiot.

Honorary SHYSTER and FRAUD awarded for services to Haberdashery.
By Appointment to God Frank-Lin.

[Robert Heller]

Note: it is possible that PDFTk will solve your problems. Rather then
*remove* the password from the existing PDF, it will create a *new* PDF
without a password. This would neatly bypass the "Permissions" password. I
know that PDFTk exists for Linux and it *might* exist for MS-Windows, but
since you seem to use Linux, you can copy the passworded PDF to your Linux
system, install PDFTk there and use PDFTk to unlock your PDF file.

>
> Thanks for explaining what was driving me crazy!
>
>

[Robert Heller]

At Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:15:55 -0400 Laura Fredericks <anon...@CLOTHEShotmail.com> wrote:

>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:15:31 -0500, Robert Heller
> <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote in post:
> >Did you try PDF ToolKit:
> >
> >www.pdftk.com
> >
> >I don't know if there is a MS-Windows version, but I would guess so,
> >there is certainly a Linux version (I have it).
> >
> >In the examples in its man page:
> >
> >Decrypt a PDF
> >pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf
>
> As I wrote in my other post, that won't work. In addition to the
> regular password, the document also has a "Permissions" password.

Are you sure? It is possible that pdftk might just ignore the "Permissions"
password. Many (most? all?) of the open source PDF viewers ignore things like
that. I have managed (with pdftk) to do things like "save as PDF" PDF files
that Adobe's PDF reader refuses to save as PDF (eg files that you are only
"allowed" to print or fill in and print -- IRS forms are like that). Adobe's
PDF reader *enforces* the Permissions settings, but programs like pdftk
don't enforce such silly things. The permissions settings are silly and are
often meaningless and are not really enforceable.

>
>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: PGP 8.1 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com
>
> iQA/AwUBUfkcD6RseRzHUwOaEQJSUwCgl5w40R3SQrcBjGX6BoqBJL9558UAn0QG
> FKD2/TCc2cX2mfJz2wCiiH6O
> =sDjk
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
>

--

[VanguardLH]

Danny D wrote:

> What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?
>
> I have an old 2009 tax document which is encrypted by the accountant
> using my SSN as the password. I can't open the document with Adobe
> Acrobat 6, because it is an Adobe Acrobat 7 document.
>
> However, I can easily open the document just fine using Foxit Reader
> 6.0.6.0722 as I simply have to type in my SSN as the password.

Can you still print the tax return document while viewing it? If so,
use a PDF printer utility (e.g., PDFcreator, Bullzip PDF Printer,
CutePDF, etc) to "print" the document to another .pdf file.

[FromTheRafters]

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:55:11 -0500
Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:

> At Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:15:55 -0400 Laura Fredericks <anon...@CLOTHEShotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > Hash: SHA1
> >
> > On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:15:31 -0500, Robert Heller
> > <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote in post:
> > >Did you try PDF ToolKit:
> > >
> > >www.pdftk.com
> > >
> > >I don't know if there is a MS-Windows version, but I would guess so,
> > >there is certainly a Linux version (I have it).
> > >
> > >In the examples in its man page:
> > >
> > >Decrypt a PDF
> > >pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf
> >
> > As I wrote in my other post, that won't work. In addition to the
> > regular password, the document also has a "Permissions" password.
>
> Are you sure? It is possible that pdftk might just ignore the "Permissions"
> password. Many (most? all?) of the open source PDF viewers ignore things like
> that. I have managed (with pdftk) to do things like "save as PDF" PDF files
> that Adobe's PDF reader refuses to save as PDF (eg files that you are only
> "allowed" to print or fill in and print -- IRS forms are like that). Adobe's
> PDF reader *enforces* the Permissions settings, but programs like pdftk
> don't enforce such silly things. The permissions settings are silly and are
> often meaningless and are not really enforceable.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Adobe/Gallery/anon21jul01-pdf-encryption.txt

[Robert Heller]

In other words, I am right: pdftk should have no trouble decrypting the file
and making a new unencrypted PDF. The "Permissions" password (owner
password), is totally irevelant here.

[Axel Berger]

Danny D wrote:
> What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?

Can you print the document? If so print to PS and run ps2pdf.

Axel

[Laura Fredericks]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:20:12 +0000 (UTC), Dustin
<abugh...@gmail.com> wrote in post:
>Laura Fredericks wrote in
>news:1jmhv8156kkkcma69...@4ax.com:
>
>Hmm. The same Laura I knew from acv? :)

Hi, Raid. ;-)

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STq7gwgk9sbvdgtGy9/H63k0
=YrVn

[FromTheRafters]

On Thu, 01 Aug 2013 06:14:46 -0400
Laura Fredericks <anon...@CLOTHEShotmail.com> wrote:

> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:20:12 +0000 (UTC), Dustin
> <abugh...@gmail.com> wrote in post:
> >Laura Fredericks wrote in
> >news:1jmhv8156kkkcma69...@4ax.com:
> >
> >Hmm. The same Laura I knew from acv? :)
>
> Hi, Raid. ;-)

...and *now* a word from our sponsor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_0--PQqytU

[Anonymous]

>What is good WinXP software to remove a known PDF password?

First of all, forget about the PDF crackers. Apart from the fact that
you know the password already, it should be pointed out that while RC4
encryption has been cracked, AES has not. Acrobat 7.0 and later
encrypt using AES. Earlier versions use RC4.

Anyway-

There is a gnu tool called pdftk, which can remove passwords. It's
not a cracker, but since you already know the password you don't need
to crack it.

I'm not sure if pdftk is packaged for Windows, but theoretically you
could compile it and run it on windows.

[techu...@gmail.com]

found solution for PDF Restrictions remover & pdf password remover on web.
Excellent service: freepdfservice.com/unlock-pdf

[dwanes...@gmail.com]

have you try this http://www.osttopstapp.com/pdf-unlocker.html