module Prawn::Document::Security

Implements PDF encryption (password protection and permissions) as specified in the PDF Reference, version 1.3, section 3.5 “Encryption”.

Constants

FULL_PERMISSIONS
PasswordPadding
PermissionsBits

Flags in the permissions word, numbered as LSB = 1

Public Class Methods

encrypt_string(str, key, id, gen) click to toggle source

Encrypts the given string under the given key, also requiring the object ID and generation number of the reference. See Algorithm 3.1.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 110
def self.encrypt_string(str, key, id, gen)
  # Convert ID and Gen number into little-endian truncated byte strings
  id = [id].pack('V')[0, 3]
  gen = [gen].pack('V')[0, 2]
  extended_key = "#{key}#{id}#{gen}"

  # Compute the RC4 key from the extended key and perform the encryption
  rc4_key = Digest::MD5.digest(extended_key)[0, 10]
  Arcfour.new(rc4_key).encrypt(str)
end

Public Instance Methods

encrypt_document(options = {}) click to toggle source

Encrypts the document, to protect confidential data or control modifications to the document. The encryption algorithm used is detailed in the PDF Reference 1.3, section 3.5 “Encryption”, and it is implemented by all major PDF readers.

options can contain the following:

:user_password

Password required to open the document. If this is omitted or empty, no password will be required. The document will still be encrypted, but anyone can read it.

:owner_password

Password required to make modifications to the document or change or override its permissions. If this is set to :random, a random password will be used; this can be useful if you never want users to be able to override the document permissions.

:permissions

A hash mapping permission symbols (see below) to true or false. True means “permitted”, and false means “not permitted”. All permissions default to true.

The following permissions can be specified:

:print_document

Print document.

:modify_contents

Modify contents of document (other than text annotations and interactive form fields).

:copy_contents

Copy text and graphics from document.

:modify_annotations

Add or modify text annotations and interactive form fields.

Examples

Deny printing to everyone, but allow anyone to open without a password:

encrypt_document :permissions => { :print_document => false },
                 :owner_password => :random

Set a user and owner password on the document, with full permissions for both the user and the owner:

encrypt_document :user_password => 'foo', :owner_password => 'bar'

Set no passwords, grant all permissions (This is useful because the default in some readers, if no permissions are specified, is “deny”):

encrypt_document

Caveats

  • The encryption used is weak; the key is password-derived and is limited to 40 bits, due to US export controls in effect at the time the PDF standard was written.

  • There is nothing technologically requiring PDF readers to respect the permissions embedded in a document. Many PDF readers do not.

  • In short, you have no security at all against a moderately motivated person. Don't use this for anything super-serious. This is not a limitation of Prawn, but is rather a built-in limitation of the PDF format.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 88
def encrypt_document(options = {})
  Prawn.verify_options [:user_password, :owner_password, :permissions],
    options
  @user_password = options.delete(:user_password) || ''

  @owner_password = options.delete(:owner_password) || @user_password
  if @owner_password == :random
    # Generate a completely ridiculous password
    @owner_password = (1..32).map { rand(256) }.pack('c*')
  end

  self.permissions = options.delete(:permissions) || {}

  # Shove the necessary entries in the trailer and enable encryption.
  state.trailer[:Encrypt] = encryption_dictionary
  state.encrypt = true
  state.encryption_key = user_encryption_key
end

Private Instance Methods

encryption_dictionary() click to toggle source

Provides the values for the trailer encryption dictionary.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 124
def encryption_dictionary
  {
    Filter: :Standard, # default PDF security handler
    V: 1,         # "Algorithm 3.1", PDF reference 1.3
    R: 2,         # Revision 2 of the algorithm
    O: PDF::Core::ByteString.new(owner_password_hash),
    U: PDF::Core::ByteString.new(user_password_hash),
    P: permissions_value
  }
end
owner_password_hash() click to toggle source

The O (owner) value in the encryption dictionary. Algorithm 3.3.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 192
def owner_password_hash
  @owner_password_hash ||= begin
    key = Digest::MD5.digest(pad_password(@owner_password))[0, 5]
    Arcfour.new(key).encrypt(pad_password(@user_password))
  end
end
pad_password(password) click to toggle source

Pads or truncates a password to 32 bytes as per Alg 3.2.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 176
def pad_password(password)
  password = password[0, 32]
  password + PasswordPadding[0, 32 - password.length]
end
permissions=(perms = {}) click to toggle source
# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 145
def permissions=(perms = {})
  @permissions ||= FULL_PERMISSIONS
  perms.each do |key, value|
    unless PermissionsBits[key]
      raise(
        ArgumentError,
        "Unknown permission :#{key}. Valid options: " +
          PermissionsBits.keys.map(&:inspect).join(', ')
      )
    end

    # 0-based bit number, from LSB
    bit_position = PermissionsBits[key] - 1

    if value # set bit
      @permissions |= (1 << bit_position)
    else # clear bit
      @permissions &= ~(1 << bit_position)
    end
  end
end
permissions_value() click to toggle source
# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 167
def permissions_value
  @permissions || FULL_PERMISSIONS
end
user_encryption_key() click to toggle source
# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 181
def user_encryption_key
  @user_encryption_key ||= begin
    md5 = Digest::MD5.new
    md5 << pad_password(@user_password)
    md5 << owner_password_hash
    md5 << [permissions_value].pack('V')
    md5.digest[0, 5]
  end
end
user_password_hash() click to toggle source

The U (user) value in the encryption dictionary. Algorithm 3.4.

# File lib/prawn/security.rb, line 200
def user_password_hash
  Arcfour.new(user_encryption_key).encrypt(PasswordPadding)
end