Adobe 22020737 Acrobat X Pro Manual - Page 245

USING ACROBAT X PRO 239 Security Why do I need one? You don't need a digital ID for most of the work you do in PDFs. For example, you don't need a digital ID to create PDFs, comment on them, and edit them. You need a digital ID to sign a document or encrypt PDFs through a certificate. How do I get one? You can get a digital ID from a third-party provider, or you can create a self-signed digital ID. Self-signed digital IDs Self-signed digital IDs can be adequate for personal use or small-to-medium businesses. Their use should be limited to parties that have established mutual trust. IDs from certificate authorities Most business transactions require a digital ID from a trusted third-party provider, called a certificate authority. Because the certificate authority is responsible for verifying your identity to others, choose one that is trusted by major companies doing business on the Internet. The Adobe website gives the names of Adobe security partners that offer digital IDs and other security solutions. See Adobe Security Partner Community at www.adobe.com/security/partners/index.html. Create a self-signed digital ID Sensitive transactions between businesses generally require an ID from a certificate authority rather than a self-signed one. 1 Do one of the following: • In Acrobat, choose Tools > Sign & Certify > More Sign & Certify > Security Settings. • In Reader, choose Edit > Protection > Security Settings. Note: If you don't see the Sign & Certify or Protection panel, see the instructions for adding panels at "Task panes" on page 9. 2 Select Digital IDs on the left, and then click the Add ID button . 3 Select the option A New Digital ID I Want To Create Now, and click Next. 4 Specify where to store the digital ID, and click Next. New PKCS#12 Digital ID File Stores the digital ID information in a file, which has the extension .pfx in Windows and .p12 in Mac OS. You can use the files interchangeably between operating systems. If you move a file from one operating system to another, Acrobat still recognizes it. Windows Certificate Store (Windows only) Stores the digital ID to a common location from where other Windows applications can also retrieve it. 5 Type a name, email address, and other personal information for your digital ID. When you certify or sign a document, the name appears in the Signatures panel and in the Signature field. 6 (Optional) To use Unicode values for extended characters, select Enable Unicode Support, and then specify Unicode values in the appropriate boxes. 7 Choose an option from the Key Algorithm menu. The 2048-bit RSA option offers more security than 1024-bit RSA, but 1024-bit RSA is more universally compatible. 8 From the Use Digital ID For menu, choose whether you want to use the digital ID for signatures, data encryption, or both. 9 Type a password for the digital ID file. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your password and indicates the password strength using color patterns. Reconfirm your password. You can export and send your certificate file to contacts who can use it to validate your signature. Last updated 10/11/2011