In this article, we’ll help you assemble your confidentiality notice for PDF documents. We’ll explain a bit about the purpose of a confidentiality statement as well as some examples of how confidentiality statements are used. As a bonus, we’ll explain why you might add a watermark to a PDF for an extra layer of protection!

Before we dive in, though, a disclaimer: We are not legal experts nor are we providing legal advice. A confidentiality statement doesn’t guarantee protection from legal consequences or privacy breaches. Consult with a lawyer or legal professional about sharing confidential information. This article is merely to help you craft a confidentiality statement, understand common elements of them, and give examples you can borrow from. 

Confidentiality Statement Purpose

A confidentiality statement is usually at the back or bottom of a document and has a simple declaration of the confidentiality of the document that it’s attached to. The specific legality will vary based on the nature of the document. In broad terms, a confidentiality statement explains that if the document’s contents are shared without consent, there could be legal consequences. 

A confidentiality statement is more of a statement of intent or ethical reminder rather than a direct, legally binding contract. Confidentiality statements are not substitutes for formal agreements between two parties. If there is a legal dispute as a result of breaking a document’s confidentiality, the confidentiality statement may be able to support a party’s side of the argument. 

There are a few types of potential confidentiality statements:

• Confidentiality agreement: A mutual agreement between two parties to treat the attached information as confidential. This means they cannot share it with outside entities (like other businesses). Usually, both parties share confidential information with each other.
• Non-disclosure statement: Sometimes also called a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), it’s common for one party to create a non-disclosure statement for another specific party to sign so that a document (or other information) is not shared. It can be mutual, but usually it’s created to limit one party from sharing confidential information with another. 
• Confidentiality statement: Confidentiality statements are usually one-way and non-specific. In other words, a confidentiality statement may be included in the document, but not specifically signed by the receiving party (the party that receives the document may not be listed in the NDA). This may be less legally binding and act more as a warning, a statement of intent or request, as in, “Please do not share the information in this PDF.” 

Confidentiality Statement Examples

Confidentiality notice

What is a confidentiality notice? It is text, usually placed at the start of a document (such as a fax) stating that the contents of the document contain confidential information only intended for specific entities listed. The entities could be listed in a fax cover sheet. This notice is a disclaimer rather than a legally binding contract. Here is an example of text that could be in a confidentiality notice:

This communication and any attached documents may contain confidential or privileged information intended solely for the use of the named recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete all copies. Unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is strictly prohibited.

Again, before sending sensitive information, it’s important to consult with a legal expert about the enforceability of a unilateral phrase such as “strictly prohibited.”

Business-oriented confidentiality statement 

What is a business confidentiality statement? It’s text that might be designed to protect trade secrets or other confidential business information from falling into the wrong hands. The nature of the information could be financial, intellectual, or something else intended to be secure. Here is an example of a business-oriented confidentiality statement: 

The contents of this document are confidential and proprietary to the sender. By accessing or reviewing this material, you agree not to disclose, copy, or distribute it without prior written consent. If received in error, please notify us and destroy all copies.

We can’t stress this enough — consult with a legal expert before issuing a unilateral “…you agree not to disclose…” statement.

Privacy statement

For personal usage, this is an example of a brief and direct privacy statement that could potentially be used by an individual who is sharing a PDF or faxing private information to another party:

This document contains sensitive information. Unauthorized use or disclosure is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.

It’s worth repeating: Check with a legal expert about the enforceability of privacy statements.  

Confidentiality in legal context

Potentially used in legal proceedings or with documents related to legal firms, this statement contains context explaining that the attached fax document has legal implications and should not be viewed or shared by an unintended recipient:

This message and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any review, dissemination, or copying is strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message.

This statement suggests that a legal agreement exists prior to sharing information; make sure your legal counsel reviews your processes for sharing confidential information. 

Watermarking Your Document

Watermarks are transparent pieces of text or pictures that provide context about the nature of a document that they’re placed on. Watermarks are easy to create using a PDF editor. We explain more about watermarks, how to make them, and what they’re used for in this article. 

So why might you include a watermark on your confidential document?

Once you’ve included your confidentiality statement and cover sheet, anyone who receives your fax or emailed PDF will immediately see that the document contains sensitive information. In the absence of a confidentiality statement, they may not know that the information that they’re viewing is confidential. A watermark with text saying confidential may alert the recipient that they should not be viewing the document. The watermark might deter someone from making copies and distributing the PDF. 

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Every PDF contains metadata, but what is it? Why does PDF metadata matter? What does your PDF’s metadata say about your PDF? 

PDF metadata, and all metadata in general, is the data that describes other data. Remember that PDFs and other file formats (DOC, XLS, etc.) are simply ways that computers store and organize information. Metadata provides additional details about this information. Some examples of metadata about a PDF include:

• When a PDF was created
• The title of the PDF
• Who created the PDF
• When the PDF was last modified
• Keywords about the PDF

Most PDFs contain this metadata, but how is this metadata used?

What is PDF Metadata Used For?

Here are a few common usages for PDF metadata.

PDF searching

Search engines like Google and Bing let you search not only for information, but for specific types of documents. This is especially useful if you need particular types of sources (such as academic or governmental) or want to search for specific formats, like eBooks. Search engines use metadata to display documents in your search results based on the keywords that you searched for. Websites also contain metadata that search engines use to give you more accurate results. Below shows a search for “how to make a paper airplane,” showing the type of metadata that Google used to find it, indicated by the green arrows. 

If you want to search specifically for PDF formats, enter the phrase “format:pdf”:

Storing and identifying PDFs

When you store or archive documents, whether in the cloud or on a hard drive, each document’s metadata will make it easier to search for them based on metadata such as key terms, authors, and title. The PDF file format is strong because it’s versatile, but the words and information that it contains may not be readable to a computer (especially if it was scanned, for example). Metadata helps a computer find PDFs based on the terms that you search for by crawling through your files’ metadata. 

PDF accessibility

Screen readers and other accessibility tools rely on a PDF’s internal structure and tagging — not just metadata — to interpret and navigate the document. While basic file metadata (such as file type or extension) helps systems recognize a file as a PDF, accessible PDFs go further by including structured elements like tags, headings, and alternative text for images. These features allow assistive technologies to provide a meaningful reading experience for people who have visual impairments. While some metadata (like document title or language) can support accessibility, it’s tags and structure within the PDF that matter most.

Version control

If you’re collaborating on a PDF with another writer or publisher, having a record of edits is important to track when changes were made and by whom. PDF metadata can store information such as the document’s creation and modification dates, and the author’s name. While metadata alone doesn’t track every edit like version control software, it can help multiple writers monitor basic details about changes.

How Do I View PDF Metadata?

View PDF metadata on Windows PCs

PDF metadata can be viewed using a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat. While you can view a document’s information using your computer’s file explorer, this will only contain the info about the local version of your PDF, not the PDF itself.

1. Open the PDF using Adobe Acrobat or another PDF reader.  

2. Click the Menu on the top left and click Document properties. 

3. View the metadata of your PDF!

Here, we see the PDF’s title, the authors, when it was created, and last modified. It also contains some advanced information, such as the software that was used to create the PDF and the page size. 

View PDF metadata on Mac

1. Open your PDF using Preview. 

2. Click the i icon on the toolbar to open the Inspector tool

3. The tools under the Inspector window let you view the metadata about the PDF. 

How to Edit PDF Metadata 

Edit metadata on Windows

You can change the metadata of a document, but you usually need to be the owner/creator of a PDF to do this. In the next example, we are not the original creator of the PDF and can’t edit the metadata. The author has locked the PDF’s metadata. You can tell because the fields are grayed out and uneditable.

When you create a document, the document properties will look like this, where the fields are editable because you are the owner or authorized user of a document:

In this panel, the Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords are no longer grayed out. We can type the document’s author, the subject, and add any other metadata that we’d like! Clicking Additional Metadata will result in even more options for editing metadata. 

Edit metadata on Mac

Apple’s Preview does not enable edits to PDF metadata. The best way to change metadata on a PDF using a Mac is through the original document creator (what was used to create the PDF), such as PowerPoint, Word, Google Docs, or the original program you (or the PDF’s creator) used to build the document.  

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Standard PDF protection allows anyone with access to use, but not edit, the document. This is good for when you need to distribute a document but don’t want people to edit it.

Password protection means you require the people accessing the PDF file to enter a password before they can view the file. You can also restrict the user’s ability to print, change content, or copy text from a PDF. You might do this for copyrighted materials, or if you’re worried about the information being distributed or tampered with. You can even lock all but a specific part of a PDF. This is particularly useful for things like proposals and contracts that require signatures or filled-in forms.

Certificate security is used in extreme cases where the most sensitive documents require more than password security. This involves encrypting the document and identifying specific recipients who can access it. A third-party security certificate service will encrypt and provide identity verification services. The PDF will be completely inaccessible to anyone not identified as having access. Examples of companies that offer this include Docusign, PandaDoc, Dropbox Sign, Zoho Sign, GetAccept and JotForm; however, there are many more companies that offer this service as well. Be sure to read consumer reviews before using.

While you won’t be able to set up certificate security on your own, you can password protect your PDFs on most Windows and Mac devices.

How to Lock a PDF with Mac and Windows

Password protection for PDFs using Apple computers

Mac devices have built-in password protection features that require the person accessing the PDF to enter a password in order to open the file. You can also require a password for the person to print, copy text, and add annotations.

Using the Preview app, open the PDF you want to protect. Then choose File > Export. If you want a separate version of the PDF to be encrypted, enter a new name for the PDF.

Select the Permissions tab and then select one of the following:

• Set password for opening the PDF: This will make users unable to open the document without a password.
• Set permissions: You can select checkboxes next to the actions that you want to restrict. For example, you can require a password for printing or changing the document.

Enter a password in the Owner Password section. There may also be a box that says Encrypt that you can select for an extra layer of security. Then click apply and save the document.

Password protection for PDFs using Windows computers

To password protect a PDF, you’ll need to use an external password-protect tool like Adobe Acrobat. Adobe’s Password Protect feature allows you to create a password that a viewer will need to enter before they can view your PDF. Adobe’s password protection tool is easy to use. 

If you don’t want to use a third-party tool, Windows devices can use Microsoft Word to password-protect a document. Open the document in Word. If the document is a PDF, the Word will automatically convert the PDF into an editable .doc or .docx, but there may be formatting issues. You can use a PDF-to-Word converter to get a clean PDF without formatting issues. 

Using Word, select File and then Export and then select Create PDF/XPS. You can select Options at the bottom of the window that appears, prompting you to name and choose a location to save the PDF. In the options window, enable Encrypt the document with a password, which will then prompt you to enter a password.

When you’re done, select Publish, and the document will be saved as a Password encrypted PDF file.

Note that there is a slight difference between password protection and encryption. Encryption scrambles and hides the data until a password is entered, meaning it will be obfuscated even further. This is useful for more sensitive information, as password protection will only hide the document until you enter a password. It’s a good extra level of security, but not always necessary.

Both of the above options have encryption built in.

How to Unlock a PDF

If you’ve created a password-protected document but, for whatever reason, no longer need a password on it, it’s fairly easy to remove. Here are some options for unlocking or removing a password from a PDF.

Assuming you have the password, you can enter it to view the document and open it on your PDF viewer of choice. Then, select Print and save a duplicate copy of the new PDF. If you’ve selected printing or viewing encryption when securing the document, you will be unable to do this.

If you have your printer settings restricted, you’ll need to open the PDF on an app like Adobe Acrobat, where you can edit the security permissions of a PDF. To do this, go to Permission Details or the Document Properties sections and select the Securities tab. In this, you’ll see your document has Password Security as the security method. You will need to change this to No Security. Then, save the document.

Even if you’re not using Adobe Acrobat, most PDF viewers will have a security section where you can change the security settings of a document to remove a password. Note that this works only if you have the password; you shouldn’t hack a locked PDF. 

While you should never try to get into a PDF that you weren’t officially given access to, losing the password for a document can be a legitimate issue. If you lose the password for a secured PDF, you may need to search for a PDF password cracker. These services may, after some time, open up your PDF to remove the password and view it online. These services range in credibility and take a lot of time to crack a PDF, so it’s important to write down the password or use an easy-to-remember password for your documents!

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Did you know there are 8 different PDF formats? The various formats mean that the PDF will store information in slightly different ways. Each different type of PDF is intended for a different purpose and, sometimes, industry, which we’ll explain. Some PDF types you may never run into, while others you may commonly run into. It all depends on how you intend to use PDFs. 

The PDF, or portable document format, is one of the most versatile document formats out there. Whether you open a PDF on a phone, Windows device, Mac, or any other type of device, it will always appear the same. 

PDFs have become so popular thanks to the many devices and document editing software apps we use in the modern era. Some folks may prefer creating documents using Microsoft Word, while others use Google Docs, PowerPoint and other programs. Regardless, any document that you create with these programs will appear the same if it’s saved or exported as a PDF. 

The 8 different PDF types are separated into two groups. The first group of 6 types are recognized by the International Standards Organization or ISO. This group is responsible for creating and recording international standards about best practices and procedures in a variety of industries. The other 2 types aren’t formally recognized by the ISO but nonetheless may be used by other organizations. 

In this article, we’ll be going through all 8 types, what they’re used for and when you may encounter them.  

ISO PDF Standards

1. PDF 

The standard, most commonly used file developed for sharing and viewing documents across the web is .pdf. The PDF is versatile and easy to use. This will be the PDF type you’ll encounter the most often. 

2. PDF/A

What is a PDFA? This file type is meant for long-term file storage. If you or your company deals with a large number of documents that need to be archived, the PDF/A has fewer restrictions for formatting settings (such as fonts or encryption). The goal is that any piece of software developed in the future will be able to use and view a PDF/A. 

How do you create a PDF/A? When you open a PDF in your favorite PDF reader, many of them allow you to Export as or Save as and choose the PDF/A format. For example, in Apple Preview, select Export as, choose Format: PDF, and click the Create PDF/A option.

3. PDF/E

The PDFE (also PDF/E) was developed for engineers, architects, and construction experts. It’s meant to be used to share technical documents that include multimedia. It has features such as better integration with proprietary manufacturing/engineering software and lower storage costs on a system. 

How do you create a PDF/E? Industry-specific software programs such as CAD programs have that ability built-in. If you need a PDF/E, chances are you are already using software programs that create PDF/E files. 

4. PDF/X

If you’re working with high-quality graphics in documents with more specific color profiles, the PDFX (or PDF/X) is what you need. The PDF/X was developed for graphic designers and printing/creative professionals that need hyper-specific colors, image qualities, and fonts. 

How do you convert PDF to PDF/X? Graphic design software programs, such as Adobe Illustrator for example, have this ability built-in.  

5. PDF/UA

PDF/UA, or PDF/UniversalAccessibility, is a PDF type meant to be used by people with disabilities that require assistive technology like a screen reader. PDF/UA have a certain set of formatting settings required to be considered conforming with certain accessibility requirements. For example, graphics need to have text descriptions and the document needs to be navigable without a mouse/keyboard. 

How do you create a PDF with universal accessibility? Many software programs have a feature called an accessibility checker. Some versions of Microsoft Word tuck Check Accessibility under the Tools menu (this may differ, depending on your computer operating system). In Google Docs, select Tools and Accessibility.  

6. PDF/VT

The PDF/VT is very similar to the PDF/X format but is meant for variable and transactional printing. This means printing content like invoices, statements, or other financial information. It has the settings needed to create useful graphics/images but is geared toward marketing and finance, and the PDF/VT format is created by these types of programs. 

Other Organization PDF Standards 

Although not formally recognized by the ISO, there are two PDF file types that are still used in their respective industries/fields. These types are less common but show how the PDF can be developed for a specific industry’s needs. 

7. PDF/H

The H in this file type stands for healthcare. It is a standard meant for handling, storing, and sharing sensitive healthcare information. This means that the standard was built with extra security and privacy features, intended to satisfy the provisions of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 

8. PAdES

This most esoteric name for a PDF file type stands for PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures. It was developed for a very specific use case: To contain standards that comply with the European Union requirements for digital signatures. It’s meant to be used for government legislation and, most notably, the digital signature contained within is recognized with the same legal value as a handwritten signature!

Although there are a lot of other types and subtypes of PDFs you may encounter on the web, these 8 are the most commonly used. PDFs are continually being further developed with additional capabilities, extensions, and restrictions to be used in any industry. It’s entirely possible that physical documents may one day become entirely obsolete!

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When does a document become copyrighted? What is digital rights management, and how do they apply to PDFs? Is it legal to make copies of PDFs? This article answers FAQs about DRM, copyrights, and PDF documents.

Copyright is a term that generally refers to protecting the intellectual property of another person or entity, like a business. Intellectual property, or IP, can be anything from a book, art, music, or images, as well as computer code and software programs. Copyright laws* protect the original creator of the IP so they can profit from their work and potentially make a living. It also protects created works from being used without permission, whether the creator intends to profit from it or not.

Without copyright laws, original work could easily be stolen and reproduced. 

Still, as useful as copyright laws are, it can be somewhat scary when you hear of the heavy fines that someone may face when breaching copyright law. For this reason, it’s important to understand general copyright law and how it may apply to the PDFs that you create or use. 

Before You Print That Copyrighted PDF … 

The copyright law enacted by the United States protects the ownership of various pieces of “published” works. The laws protecting these works do not extend to ideas, meaning the author must have created the work in some capacity. Trademarks, such as logos or brand names of companies, also fall under protected material.

While the law has various nuances pertaining to the different pieces of artistic property, the general idea is that you cannot use any copyrighted material without the original author’s permission. 

That said, there are a few exceptions. These exceptions are referred to as Fair Use.

Harvard Law interprets fair use as “The right to use a copyrighted work under certain conditions without the permission of the copyright owner.” Determining whether your PDF falls under fair use can be complex, but the following factors must be considered:

• The purpose and character of the use: Educational and nonprofit materials may fall under fair use. If the PDF is used for commercial gain, it won’t fall under fair use. 
• Nature of copyrighted work: Facts and statistics are generally not as heavily protected, and you may be able to use them far more than creative properties (but cite your sources!).
• Amount and substantiality of the portion in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole: If using a copyrighted work, how much of the work was used in relation to the document or PDF you’re creating? If you use a quote from a book, it may be fine. But if you use chapters from the book in your PDF, and then sell it, you may infringe copyright law. 
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work: If your PDF will damage the potential commercial gain of the original copyrighted work you’re using, it may not be considered fair use. For example, if you create and sell a PDF that’s a collection of a certain photographer’s work.

When you use a PDF internally with no intention to capitalize, distribute or commercialize the copyrighted content, it’s likely that your PDF may fall under fair use. For example:

• If you print a recipe from bettycrocker.com for personal use, that’s fair use.
• If you print the same recipe and publish it on your cooking blog or put it in your own cookbook and distribute it, that likely infringes on Betty Crocker’s copyright, even if you attribute the recipe to its originator.  

Courts consider all of the above factors when determining whether something is fair use or not. If you expect to run into issues of copyright with your work, you should always consult a lawyer on the subject before publishing anything. 

What is DRM (Digital Rights Management)? 

We’ve used the term “publishing” before, which may conjure images of physical books or texts. In the digital age, however, publishing also refers to properties in the virtual world. If anything, digital works are even more vulnerable to copyright law as it becomes increasingly easier to copy other people’s works. 

That which is virtual is just as protected as the physical and digital rights management (DRM) is a common method for protecting such digital properties. 

DRM can be thought of as a ruleset that the original author or publisher can impose upon a digital work in order to limit or restrict what viewers can do with copies of the property that they purchase. It may, for example, limit you from making copies of the digital property, copying text or images, printing the content, and more. 

If someone creates a copyrighted PDF, for example, they may use a PDF reader/editor to create security rules to lock or secure their work. PDFs may have passwords or limits on what you can view without permission. By doing this, the original author maintains control of their work and limits who has access as well as what they can use from the document. 

FAQs About Copyrights and PDFs

Copyright law can be complicated and nuanced. However, it’s structured in a way to promote creativity while still protecting it. Here are a few common questions you may ask about copyrighted work as it relates to PDFs. 

Do you have to file for a copyright in order to protect your work?

In the United States, the courts recognize that a copyright exists “from the moment the work is created.” For example, as soon as we typed the first letter of this article, it became copyrighted property of PDF.Live.

Can you use copyrighted images for personal use?

In general, no. If an image is licensed by a photographer/artist and copyrighted, then you cannot use them without permission from the owner. If the image you’re using falls under fair use, you may be able to use it. 

In general, if you want to use images for a work presentation, online blog, or another commercial reason, you should employ public domain or Creative Commons images that can be used under certain conditions. These conditions are usually giving the image credit or paying the original creator for permission to use images. 

Consider searching Creative Commons or royalty-free images online to find images that you can use with permission. Always read the fine print.

Can you print a copyrighted book?

Printing a physical version of a virtual book that you purchased a copy of can be convenient for studying and taking notes, but does this violate copyright law? 

Again, it depends on the use. If you’re using it for personal reasons, there shouldn’t be an issue, but review the license agreement for the virtual book. However, if you’re selling and distributing physical copies of the book, you’re definitely violating copyright law. 

How can you check a PDF for copyright?

If a PDF was created by another person or company, it’s considered their intellectual property and therefore falls under copyright law. However, copyrighted PDFs may also come with attached metadata that tells you more about the copyright. This metadata can often be found in the properties section of a PDF. 

How can you get permission to print copyrighted materials?

Contacting the original owner/author of the copyrighted material is the best way to use and print copyrighted material. It’s also sometimes possible to obtain a license to use certain properties, such as a license for using all the royalty-free music company has in their library.  

How long do copyrights last?

Copyrights last for the entire duration of the author’s life plus 70 years from the first publication of the work. Copyrights don’t have to be renewed in order to fall under copyright laws. 

*This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.

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Although it’s rare that you’ll get a PDF that contains a virus, it happens. Viruses and malware can be attached to any type of file and delivered through many means — text message, email attachment, website download, link etc. How do you know if a file is infected with malware?

Yes, PDFs can actually contain viruses. A virus is a malicious program that threatens your computer, phone or other electronic device’s security. Viruses take many different forms and damage your computer in different ways. 

• Malware – Malicious program that, once downloaded, steals your information or sends you unwanted/inappropriate ads.
• Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts your computer and demands payment for unlocking your system. 
• Virus – A type of malware that replicates itself and spreads once downloaded on your computer, destroying and corrupting files that you have on your system.  
• Trojan – A program that may appear unassuming but is stealing your data or distributing malware to your computer in the background. 

Fortunately, these forms of malicious computer programs usually require you to install a program, download something, or open a document on the web. It is unlikely that you will ever receive a virus if you aren’t downloading data from untrustworthy sources. 

Unfortunately, this does mean that PDFs can potentially host viruses, though it is rare. Even if the PDF doesn’t have a particularly large file size, it could result in a virus infecting your system. Again, this is rare, but it’s worth understanding, so your data is protected. This will usually occur upon opening an infected PDF. It then may, for example, result in a piece of code being executed on your computer that installs a malicious program from a 3rd party source. 

So how can you prevent this?

Do Not Download PDFs from Untrustworthy Sources

Untrustworthy sources may take many forms. Strange websites with popups, ads, and strange URLs may prompt you to download “something” now. If you don’t know what you’re downloading, or the website doesn’t seem trustworthy, don’t take the risk! Even if it’s just a PDF – it can still be a virus. 

If you receive an email from someone you don’t know or the email address is a jumble of different letters and symbols, it may be a scammer or phisher trying to access your system. Phishing is when scammers try to trick you into downloading something or giving away personal information. Phishers may pretend to be a store, bank, or person that you know. Even if the phisher is just prompting you to download a simple PDF – don’t! 

ZIP files are a great way to package up several different PDFs and send them to someone else as a single file. However, they can also host malicious programs and malware that are installed on your system once you open the file. Be just as cautious with ZIP files as you are with PDFs. 

Scan PDFs and Files for Viruses

Although you shouldn’t download files from untrustworthy sources, most viruses require you to open the program or file before they begin infecting your system. If you have a PDF file on your computer that you’re concerned about containing a virus, consider using a virus scanning tool to check the file for a malicious program. 

A tool like VirusTotal will analyze for free any files and website URLs for malware or security breaches. You can simply upload a PDF you’re worried about being infected to the website and it will check whether or not it is infected. You can even paste a website URL into the tool and it will scan the web page to see whether or not malware is detected. 

Consider using antivirus software as well. Windows has Windows Security built-in and MacOS has Security. Some antivirus software can scan specific files you’re concerned about or even check your entire computer for potential issues. Other antivirus software may scan files that you plan to download for viruses before they’re downloaded to protect you from malicious files. 

Use a Trusted PDF Reader 

A PDF Reader is a program that allows you to open and view a PDF on your device. While a web browser can allow you to open and view PDFs, it won’t have many additional features like bookmarking, commenting, and editing a PDF. Some PDF readers will even have built-in defenses against PDF viruses. 

When deciding on what PDF reader to use, consider checking how frequently the reader is updated. Hackers are constantly changing the ways they sneak into your system to circumvent common security programs. If your PDF reader has frequent security updates, it’s probably an excellent choice to use for safely viewing a PDF. PDF readers may also come equipped with the option for disabling JavaScript code from being executed on your system. Viruses may commonly be hidden in PDFs in the form of JavaScript that is run on your system once the PDF is opened.  

Remember that a PDF reader may help avoid a virus from being installed on your system but won’t prevent it entirely. Never download and open PDFs from untrustworthy sources!

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