information security

Information Security Center

Information Security & Document Protection Guides for Beginners

Information rights management: digital information security

This section of our web site provides beginners guides and overviews of digital information security, where it is used, and how to understand some of the topics by which it is often referred to.

  • PDF Security

    PDF encryption
    Covers encryption basics, and PDF encryption basics, why you would want to use encryption to protect your PDF documents, what you should look for in a PDF encryption software package, and how PDF encryption differs from PDF security and PDF DRM.

    PDF security
    Explains what PDF security is, why you would want to secure your PDF documents, and the different methods of protecting them.

    PDF digital rights management
    Covers PDF digital rights management (PDF DRM) and the use and effectiveness of DRM controls in protecting PDF documents.

    PDF protection
    Covers the essential security features that every PDF protection product should have – stop PDF sharing, stop copying, stop printing, stop screenshots, stop downloads, stop forwarding, prevent editing/modifying, PDF expiry and revocation, document logging and locking PDF files to devices, domains and IP addresses. Also covers the use of DRM and licensing controls and secure PDF hosting and distribution of protected PDF files.

    PDF password protection
    Covers the use of passwords for PDF document protection and why they are significantly flawed and insecure.  Examines other alternatives to PDF password protection.

    PDF copy protection
    Explains what is copy protection and covers the use of copy protection in protecting PDF documents.

    PDF Lock
    Covers how PDF locks are used to protect PDF files and their content from misuse and piracy and the types of PDF locks available.

    Protected PDF
    Guide to how to create protected pdf files, opening and printing protected pdf files and why Locklizard DRM software does not create password protected pdf files.

    Restrict PDF
    Covers how to restrict PDF access and use, how these controls can be bypassed, and how they can be enforced using PDF restriction software.

    Removing PDF Watermarks
    People think that applying watermarks to PDF documents is a secure method of protecting their intellectual property.  However there are many ways to easily remove watermarks from PDF files and this article explains how.

    Adobe Content Server
    Adobe Content Server is a server based PDF DRM system designed to protect PDF documents and ebooks.  But plagued with security issues was this why it was withdrawn from sale?

    Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management
    Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management was created to protect documents within an organization.  So does it provide the DRM controls that a book publisher might require, or the seller of private reports?

    Adobe Digital Editions – Epub or PDF?
    Adobe Digital Editions is an ebook publishing platform that supports the ePub and PDF formats.  But which one should you choose for your ebooks and which one is the most secure?

    Tracking PDF documents
    Covers why you would want to track pdf files, what choices you have to do so, and what issues you many come across.

    PDF Expiry & Revocation
    Reasons why you would want a PDF file to expire, different ways you can expire PDFs, and how to automatically expire a PDF file after a certain time frame. How to instantly revoke PDF access.

    Secure PDF Forms
    The Adobe Solution to PDF form protection and why it is not secure (even if forms are digitally signed).  How to distribute PDF forms securely, stop PDF forms from being edited or form data from being modifed after submission.

  • PDF Password Protection

    Password protect PDF
    An overview of PDF password protection, facts about passwords, enforcing strong passwords, PDF password tips, and whether you should password protect PDF files.

    A History of PDF password protection
    Adobe PDF versions and security features, types of Adobe PDF passwords, is PDF password protection secure, and are PDF passwords right for your business.

    PDF password protection
    Password protecting PDF files to prevent the opening of PDF documents, items to consider before password protecting PDFs, password generator programs and password administration, and how to choose a strong password.

    Using passwords to protect PDFs
    PDF password protection software, PDF restrictions (PDF document controls) and secure alternatives to PDF passwords.

    How to password protect PDF files
    Types of Adobe PDF passwords, how to password protect a PDF using Adobe Acrobat, whether you should use passwords to protect PDFs, and the importance of strong passwords.

    Remove PDF password protection
    How to remove PDF document open passwords, remove PDF restrictions without password remover tools, and applications that unlock PDF files.

    Cracking password protected PDF files
    How easy it is to crack password protected PDFs and how password cracker tools work.  A history of PDF cracks and protection against PDF password cracking.

  • Information Rights Management

    Digital rights management (DRM)
    An overview of Digital Rights Management (DRM).

    Active rights management
    An overview of Active Rights Management and how it differs from Digital Rights Management (DRM) in protecting information.

    Enterprise rights management
    An overview of Enterprise Rights Management and how it differs from Digital Rights Management (DRM) in protecting information.

    Rights management
    An overview of Rights Management and information rights management controls.

    Using DRM to secure file information
    What a DRM tool is, and how it can be used to secure file contents by controlling the current and subsequent use of the information in the file.

  • Intellectual Property

    Intellectual property protection
    An overview of intellectual property protection and how to protect your IPR.

    Intellectual property theft
    An overview of intellectual property theft and what can be done to prevent it.

    Intellectual property rights
    An overview of intellectual property rights including the use of patents and trademarks.

    Information Leakage
    An overview of how DRM prevents information leakage.

    Data Leakage Prevention & Trade Secret theft
    How DRM controls create data leakage prevention and why DRM is so effective in stopping data theft.

    Digital Publishing & copy protected content
    Why digital publishing (ebook publishing and other works) should be copy protected using DRM.

    How to sell digital documents & PDF files securely online
    Selling documents securely – how to protect your intellectual property from sharing, piracy and theft.

  • Copy Protection and Prevention & Copyright

    Copy prevention
    An overview of copy prevention, what it is used for, and how it is applied.

    Copy protection
    An overview of copy protection, and its use in protecting intellectual property.

    Copy control
    An overview of copy control and how it differs from copy prevention and copy protection.

    Stop copying of files
    Common myths about stopping copying, emailing and downloading files.  It is a common myth that you can stop copying, emailing, and downloading of files, yet you cannot readily prevent this. What you can stop is the use of content by unlicensed users.

    What is Copyright?
    An overview of copyright and protection of copyright.

    Prevent Printing
    Discusses the requirements to prevent printing and under what circumstances preventing printing is useful.

    Disable Print
    Why you should disable print in your documents, and how to disable printing from PDF and disable print to file using the Locklizard DRM printing control.

    Disable Copy Paste
    Disabling copy paste is a vital function of any DRM software.  It prevents screenshots being readily taken and distributed and stops text and images from being easily copied and pasted into unprotected documents.

    Prevent Save
    Why it is important to prevent save and disable save as in a DRM system to ensure unprotected content cannot be made.

    Content Security & Protection
    Why you need DRM to protect and secure content, why encryption is not enough, and why digital signatures and PKI can be a security and management issue.

  • Information Control & Document Security

    Internal document control
    An overview of internal document control, covering international standards and the systems available for the internal control of documents.

    External document control
    An overview of external document control, and how control over external documents (documents distributed outside a company) can be achieved.

    Content control
    An overview of content control and how it can be achieved.

    Content management
    An overview of content management and the lifecycle management of content.

    Information control
    An overview of information control and the maintaining of copyright.

    Document security
    An overview of document security and how document management and document control systems can help you achieve document copy protection.

    DRM Document control
    An overview of how DRM can be used to control document usage and how DRM can stop forwarding, stop sharing, stop printing and prevent copy & paste.

    Document watermarking
    An overview of document watermarking discussing how watermarks can be used to protect documents, including the use of moire images and dynamic watermarks to deter from printed copies being made.

    Secure Document sharing
    Why access rights and encryption are not enough to prevent document sharing, and how DRM document rights can ensure secure document sharing.

    Deal room & Data room security
    Why PDF DRM is essential in deal rooms and data rooms to ensure complete document access control and secure document and file sharing.

    Blueprint documentation security
    How PDF DRM security can help protect your documentation and blueprints, controlling access and usage.

    Revoking Document Access, Document Expiry & Remote File Deletion
    Using DRM document security to revoke document access, expire documents and remotely delete files.

    Restrict Document Access & lock PDF files to domains and devices
    How DRM document security can be used for restricting document access to all authorized users, individuals and groups, and how PDF files can be locked to specific devices, domains and IP addresses.

    Continous data protection & data security
    How DRM can be used as part of an effective data security strategy, providing continuous data protection both inside and outside the firewall.

    Self extracting EXE files
    Why self extracting exe files should not be used if you are concerned about security.

    Stop document copying, prevent copy and paste
    How Safeguard PDF Security can be used to stop document copying, prevent copy and paste, and stop screen grabbing.

    Sharepoint document security
    Securing documents in Sharepoint – the issues of setting folder and document permissions and how Safeguard PDF Security can be used to achieve total document security no matter where documents reside.

  • Ebook Security

    Ebook security
    An overview of ebook security and its effectiveness.

    Secure ebook
    An overview of secure ebooks (digital books) and how you can make an ebook secure.

    Ebook encryption
    An overview of ebook encryption and its role in ebook security.

    Ebook protection
    An overview of ebook protection covering the different methods used to protect ebooks.

    Ebook copyright
    An overview of ebook copyright and how copyrighting your ebooks can be achieved.

    Ebook DRM
    The most popular ebook DRM formats and protection methods, removal tools, and secure alternatives.

    Ebook DRM for Libraries
    How libraries can use DRM to provide secure ebook distribution and secure electronic document delivery.

  • Elearning Security

    Elearning security
    An overview of elearning security and its objectives.

    Distance learning copy control
    An overview of distance learning copy control and how it differs from elearning security.

    Elearning copy protection
    An overview of elearning copy protection.

    Etraining security
    An overview of etraining security.

    Online learning security
    An overview of (online learning security and how it differs from etraining security.

    Training course copy protection
    An overview of training course copy protection and why you need it to protect your training material.

    LMS security
    Integrating Locklizard DRM with your LMS system to protect your training material against unauthorized use and misuse.

    Protecting online course content
    How to protect online course content from unauthorized sharing and piracy while enabling secure courseware distribution.

    Prevent cheating in online exams, courses and tests
    How to prevent online cheating by controlling how content can be access and used.

  • Secure Data Rooms

    Secure Data Rooms
    Types of secure data room solutions and how DRM can be used in secure data room systems to protect & control confidential & sensitive business documents.

    Secure Deal Rooms
    Do Secure Deal rooms offer much protection for your documents?

    Why Secure Data Rooms & Data Room Security are snake oil
    Secure data room systems don’t stop users sharing documents.  Here we cut through the marketing hype and explain why they are useless for secure document sharing.

    Data Room Security
    Here we discuss whether data room security is adequate for secure document sharing.

  • Web and HTML Security

    Web page security
    An overview of web page security.

    Web page encryption
    An overview of web page encryption and how it differs from SSL.

    Html security
    An overview of html security and what it tries to achieve.

    Html encryption
    An overview of html encryption and the protection of web pages.

    Html password protection
    An overview of html password protection, its shortcomings and flaws.

    Web page login
    An overview of web page login and the security used to provide ‘secure’ access to web pages.

    Web login
    An overview of web login security covering single sign on, PKI and password authentication.

    Web access login
    An overview of web access login and access control.

    Web page access control
    An overview of web page access control and how it is achieved.