File Attachment Tool

[Jaragorn]

Is there any way to suppress the File Attachment Tool functionality from being used or visable to the users?

As a company, we don't want users to be able to embed a file in a PDF and risk infecting a client or infecting us, or being able to send important confidential files outside the company. How can this be suppressed or eliminated?

Do you have a group policy ADM template for configuring settings available in the viewer program? We also want to suppress the user's ability to do searching froim within the viewer?

Thanks

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello Jaragorn,

I think there is no such way at this moment but have requested one of the dev guys to have a look here and confirm my suspicion or give you hints how to achieve what you need.

Expect a more firm answer shortly.

Regards,
Stefan

[Jaragorn]

Thanks Stefan, I guess I should also have been clearer on the searching comment, I meant suppressing the web searching functionality from within the viewer - not the internal document searching.

I am a little curious what need was addressed by adding a web searching piece of functionality to a PDF reader? I thought maybe I could highlight a piece of text in a PDF and search the web for that but it doesn't seem to do that. Just curious.

Also, I hope you are considering providing a ADM template for enterprise management of your viewer. If not, if you could provide the appropriate registry locations for these settings that would be very helpful.

Thanks

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hi Jaragorn,

I got a confirmation that removing/denying the file attachment functionality is not possible but you can customize the main menu to hide/delete the "Document -> Attach a File" and "Tools -> Comment and Markup Tools -> File Attachment Tool" commands and then export these modifications to a settings file and then import it for all users (refer to the manual for command line export and import).

Before exporting you can also go to Edit -> Preferences -> Search Providers, and "Switch off all search providers" - then your users will not have the menu option at all.

Regards,
Stefan

[Jaragorn]

Thanks Stefan. I can't say I like the solution as it doesn't prevent a user from re-enabling the feature.

I know the enterprise may not be your products main focus but I think you have a lot of what appeals to the enterprise. But enterprises want/need to be able to control the settings of the software they use to adjust the risk vectors to their business. As I mentioned above, I think the ability to embed a file of any type in a PDF viewer is a security risk that will turn off may enterprise customers. I fact, even though we have the equivalent of a site license of your Pro software package, I have instructed my staff not to deploy any version of the reader that has this ability. It has nothing to do with trust, but security.

This feature obviously starts a clock running as to how long we can continue to use this viewer product due to newer version of acrobat files.

John and I had some discussions years ago about the need for a MSI install version for enterprises and although the news wasn't good at the time, I see things have changed for the better.

I hope too, that the powers that be consider the potential for growth that enterprises offer and consider the path that other enterprise products take to give that flexibility to those that can use it, or require it. If you can't adopt the full approach of going the ADM route, perhaps you could at least consider allowing for the enablement or disablement of feature via registry setting so enterprises can adapt your products to their specific needs.

I don't mean to be a downer, I love your products and that's why we bought licenses for our whole company. I wouldn't have anything else, but I can't have that feature in a PDF reader that I couldn't otherwise disable.

Thanks for the quick response.

[ugradedeveloper]

Jaragorn,

I don't know if this fits your company's situation, but you can disable any command in the Viewer if you are using the SDK. You could have a simple application which would be little more than a container for the Viewer, but would disable the File Attachment tool (and any other tool or command you like).

Lewis

[Jaragorn]

Ugradedeveloper, that's good news indeed!

I'll have my developers look into it as a stop gap but I suspect that doesn't prevent anyone from just running the viewers exe directly, thus bypassing the benefit of the SDK wrapper app you describe.

Thanks for the info though!

[ugradedeveloper]

Jaragorn,

You're right that the users would still be able to run the viewer itself as a stand-alone application. Even if you removed the Start Menu and desktop shortcuts, that would only be security through obscurity (as they say). Well, it's a thought.

Lewis

[Jaragorn]

I can only assume that since this topic has not received any follow-up that it is not considered a potential vulnerability by Tracker Software.

It seems however, that Adobe themselves have now come to understand the potential vulnerability and have done the logical thing by giving administrators the very ability I had advocated.

Hopefully Tracker will revisit the issue and give its corporate users the same courtesy.

http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/20 ... shutti.php
http://blogs.adobe.com/adobereader/2010 ... ction.html

This ability (with the registry settings so I can enforce it via group policy) would allow me to reinstall the viewer app as it reallly is a great tool.

The ability to set other settings via registry/Group Policy would also be nice. We were running ragged trying to explain to users how to set the font. This would have provided some consistency in company produced documents instead of every users using a slightly different font.

[John - Tracker Supp]

Version 3 due, out later this summer will be far more cogniscent of Admin users needs and installation expectations - including group policies etc ...

As we wind down development of Version 2 - it makes less sense to over commit resources to the current release - though we are still adding in features and maintaining - I do not expect there to be any major new items added until Version 3 is released - as always all users buying a licensed version 12 months or less from the V3 release - will receive a free upgrade.

HTH

[Jaragorn]

... Version 3 due, out later this summer will be far more cogniscent of Admin users needs and installation expectations - including group policies etc ...

Any update on the new verison that has these abilities?

Thanks

Jim

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

A more recent estimate for the release of version 3 is early in 2011.

[Jaragorn]

Is there any update on the availability date for this version?

I desperately need the group policy ability to remove or limit access to features - like the file attach functionality.

Thanks

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello Jaragorn,

Yes there is an updated estimate, and you can find it here:
Viewer V3 Roadmap

Best,
Stefan

[Jaragorn]

Thanks Stefan, I'm sorry to be one of those nagging people that keeps asking but the group policy functionality has been a long time request of mine.

If you are in need of a beta tester for the viewer, consider me a candidate.

Thanks

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Sure Jaragorn,

We will have you in mind for when the beta is available for testing.

Best,
Stefan