Security
See the safeguards and honest boundaries around local document processing.
Security here means two things: keeping your documents inside your browser instead of a server, and being straightforward when a tool genuinely cannot do what its name implies. Both are explained below.
The local-processing boundary#
Local tools keep document bytes in browser memory for the duration of the operation and write output as a new file in memory, so your original file is never mutated in place and stays available for comparison.
Because processing happens in your tab, the trust boundary that matters most is your own browser session: browser extensions, shared devices, and a compromised operating system are outside what Paperlane can control. Keep your browser and device updated, and avoid running unfamiliar extensions while handling sensitive documents.
Encryption, unlocking, and honest refusal#
Encrypt PDF, Remove Password, and Unlock PDF are built on the pdf-lib library pinned in this app, which only implements the read side of PDF password protection — it can open and inspect encrypted PDFs, but it cannot write real, standards-compliant PDF encryption.
Rather than fake that capability with a cosmetic password prompt that does not actually protect the file, Encrypt PDF honestly refuses: it validates your input, then reports that no verified write-side encryption engine is wired up, and produces no output file. Remove Password and Unlock PDF are held to the same standard — they will not claim success on an operation they cannot actually perform correctly.
If you need real PDF password encryption today, use a tool that is verified to implement the write side of the spec rather than relying on this app for that specific operation.
Reporting a vulnerability#
Security reports are handled through the security contact published at /.well-known/security.txt, which follows the RFC 9116 convention that security scanners and researchers look for automatically.
For a general (non-vulnerability) support question, use the Contact page instead — the two routes exist for different audiences, but they lead to the same team.
Browser-side hardening#
The app sets standard hardening headers where the hosting platform allows it, and avoids introducing third-party scripts on tool pages that would otherwise gain access to in-memory document content.