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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

Announcing PDF Week Prague – November 4-8, 2024

August 2024 by PDF Association staff
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The third PDF Week of 2024 will be hosted by Charles University in the beautiful city of Prague, in the Czech Republic! PDF Association members are invited to register now!

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August 2024 by PDF Association staff
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Devs must VALIDATE before applying ISO-standardized subset metadata to PDFs! | PDF Week Prague accommodations | OPF patches JHOVE | … Read more

PDF in the Wild

August 2024 by PDF Association staff
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Starting today, PDF users everywhere can leverage ISO-standardized accessibility requirements for content in PDF.

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July 2024 by PDF Association staff
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Wired likes PDF/A, Google and Apple do PDF creation from phone cameras, EA-PDF is already in the wild, the latest … Read more

PDF in the Wild

July 2024 by PDF Association staff
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The latest PDF 2.0 Errata Collection 2 is a complete update and replacement for the previous no-cost sponsored edition of … Read more

PDF Association news

July 2024 by Peter Wyatt
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To avoid confusing and frustrating users, applications can and should be robustly prepared for significant changes to PDF – with … Read more

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July 2024 by Peter Wyatt
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These synthetic files are intended for user experience and human-computer interaction (HCI) specialists to assess the behavior of their current … Read more

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June 2024 by PDF Association staff
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This members-only technical resource lists PDF-aware forensic tools that allow technical examination, editing, and/ or low-level technical analysis of general … Read more

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June 2024 by PDF Association staff
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A new members-only resource supports forensic experts tasks with examination of PDF files.

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June 2024 by PDF Association staff
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What do “first class companies” do? Japanese media covers the PDF Association in Tokyo. Firefox adds experimental alt. text generation … Read more

PDF in the Wild

June 2024 by Peter Wyatt
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Peter Wyatt’s latest article focuses on improving the user experience for website visitors needing to access specific content in longer … Read more

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