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A case study in PDF forensics: The Epstein PDFs

This article details a PDF forensics case study on a small, random selection of the Epstein PDF files released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The tranche contains 4,085 PDF files, with an estimated 5,879 remaining unreleased. Key findings include:

  • A difference in PDF version reporting between forensic tools.
  • The presence of two incremental updates.
  • The discovery of a hidden (orphaned) document information dictionary revealing the software used in processing.
  • The DoJ avoided JPEG images to prevent metadata leakage.
  • Overall, the DoJ’s sanitization workflow could be improved to reduce file size and information leakage.
Peter Wyatt

By Peter Wyatt
December 2025

A case study in PDF forensics: The Epstein PDFs

This article details a PDF forensics case study on a small, random selection of the Epstein PDF files released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The tranche contains 4,085 PDF files, with an estimated 5,879 remaining unreleased. Key findings include:

  • A difference in PDF version reporting between forensic tools.
  • The presence of two incremental updates.
  • The discovery of a hidden (orphaned) document information dictionary revealing the software used in processing.
  • The DoJ avoided JPEG images to prevent metadata leakage.
  • Overall, the DoJ’s sanitization workflow could be improved to reduce file size and information leakage.
Peter Wyatt

By Peter Wyatt
December 2025

Understanding Overprint

February 2019 by Dietrich von Seggern (callas software GmbH)
Article


When working with support cases the ones that are related to Overprint in PDF are likely to surprise customers. It frequently happens that what they thought would be completely wrong … Read more

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February 2019 by Elodie Tellier
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In cooperation with our member ORPALIS the PDF Association is organizing the first PDF Day France. As all lectures will … Read more

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January 2019 by Matthias Wagner
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Welcome to the brand new PDF Association website. This sweeping relaunch has a modern and user-friendly interface and offers interesting … Read more

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January 2019 by Dietrich von Seggern (callas software GmbH)
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Today’s world of Information Technology has opened the doors in many ways in order to integrate people with disabilities into … Read more

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January 2019 by PDF Association staff
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We’ve done PDF Day events and technical conferences across Europe, in the US, in Australia, and elsewhere. This Electronic Document … Read more

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January 2019 by PDF Association staff
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To complement existing Working Groups, the Board of Directors has decided to allow the creation of Liaison Working Groups (LWGs) … Read more

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January 2019 by Matthias Wagner
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Liebe deutschsprachige Besucher unserer Webseite! Gerade im technischen Umfeld kommt heute kaum noch eine Webseite ohne englischsprachige Begriffe und Inhalte … Read more

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December 2018 by PDF Association staff
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2006: The PDF/A Competence Center A new year brings new things, and 2019 is no exception! There are many exciting … Read more

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December 2018 by Thomas Zellmann
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PDF Day France will be the first French-speaking event of the PDF Association. The event takes place in Toulouse, the … Read more

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November 2018 by Duff Johnson
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This event allows those engaged with electronic document technology focusing on developers, product managers, professional document users, creative professionals and … Read more

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November 2018 by PDF Association staff
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Anticipating the new Japanese era name, the Unicode Consortium announced its reservation of U+32FF for this purpose. PDF developers should … Read more

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