OFFICE: Protecting documents
Kseniya Fedoruk applies digital signatures, passwords and watermarks, to ensure extra security when working with documents in Onlyoffice.
Kseniya Fedoruk applies digital signatures, passwords and watermarks, to ensure extra security when working in Onlyoffice.
Nowadays, many users are concerned about the safety of their data, especially when it comes to document editing which is an essential part of our everyday working routine. They’re keen to know how to protect their documents, and boost their data security measures. In one of my previous articles (see LXF271) we discussed how to collaborate on your documents that were fully encrypted with Onlyoffice’s
Private Room feature.
Digital signatures are commonly used to verify the authenticity and integrity of official documents, such as contracts, invoices, orders and reports. Signatures verify that document content originates from you and that no alterations have been made to its contents. Once a digital signature is added, the document cannot be edited. If the document has been changed then the signature becomes invalid.
To be able to digitally sign documents, you need a signing certificate issued by a Certificate Authority. Certificates provide the keys that are used to validate the authenticity of digital signatures.
A private key is used to create a digital signature. Only the owner of the certificate can access such a key. A public key is then used by a recipient of the document – this validates the authenticity of the signature added by the certificate owner who earlier signed the document.
To add an invisible digital signature, create a new file or open the existing one with Onlyoffice Desktop Editors. Switch to the Protection tab, click the arrow next to the Signature button and then select the Add digital signature option.
In the opened window, fill in the purpose for signing the document. Then select a digital certificate by uploading .crt and .key files, before clicking OK in the Sign Document window.
Once done, your document is signed and protected from editing. This signature type isn’t visible in the text, but you can find its details and settings on the right-side toolbar, including the certificate owner’s name, date and time of adding the signature, as well as options to remove it or apply another one.
If someone decides to make alterations in the signed document, a warning message appears saying that the file is protected. By clicking Edit anyway they’ll remove the signature, so you’ll know that the content was modified intentionally.
Signature lines
A signature line is visible in the document text and enables the addition of signatures from other users.
To add a signature line, create a new file or open the existing one with Onlyoffice Desktop Editors. Put the mouse cursor where you want a signature to appear. Switch to the Protection tab, click the arrow next to the Signature button and then select the Add signature line option.
In the window that appears, fill in the required fields: Name, Signer Title, E-mail, and Instructions for Signer. If necessary, check the ‘Show sign date in signature line’ box. Click OK and save the document.
Once done, the signature line appears in the document. You can sign the document yourself, as well as request other users to do so.
It’s also possible to add multiple signature lines according to the number of signers. If you want both to request signatures and sign the document yourself, first you need to add all signature lines and then sign the document.
Required signatures
If your team members receive a document that requires their signature, they’ll see a pop-up window on the right sidebar informing them that the document needs to be signed. To sign the document via this signature type, double-click the signature line and choose Sign in the opened menu.
You can enter your name in the Input signer name field and format the text, choosing the necessary font type and size. Alternatively, you can click the Select image button and upload an image you want to use as a signature.
Preview your signature, select a certificate and then click OK in the Sign Document window. Once ready, the document is protected from editing and everyone can see added digital signatures.
In the Onlyoffice desktop application, you’re able to protect your documents with a password to store your local files securely. To do this, create a new file or open the existing one with Onlyoffice Desktop Editors, switch to the Protection tab, select the Encrypt option, and enter a strong case-sensitive password in the opened window. If someone accesses your desktop, they won’t be able to open a protected file without knowing the password. If you wish to unlock the document or change your password, just select Remove password on the same page you set it.
Add watermarks
Watermarking helps to reduce unauthorised re-distribution of your work. A watermark is a text or image placed under the main text layer. To add a watermark, create a new document or open the existing one with Onlyoffice Desktop Editors, switch to the Layout tab, click the Watermark icon, and select the Custom Watermark option.
Adjust the available parameters in the opened window. If you are adding a text watermark, you can select the required language, watermark text, font name and size, decoration styles and layout, and apply the Semitransparent option.
If you’re adding an image watermark, you can select the image file source (From File, From URL or From Storage) and the necessary scale value. Once done, click OK. A watermark will be added to the document. That’s it! Protect your documents and stay safe.