2004

Drawing Encryption | 775
Protect Drawings with Encryption
If you add a password to a drawing and save the drawing, the drawing is
encrypted and cannot be reopened until the password is entered.
You can attach a password to a file while modifying the file or when you save
the file. You must individually add a password to each drawing you want to
encrypt.
Warning! If you lose a password, your drawing file is lost. Before you add a
password to a drawing, you should create a backup that is not protected with a
password.
Add a Password to a Drawing
A password can be a single word, or a phrase. It is recommended that you use
common characters. The more characters you use, the harder it is for an
unauthorized program, or “password cracker,” to determine the password.
When you add a password to a drawing, you can choose whether to encrypt
drawing properties, and you can specify an encryption type and key length.
After you add a password to a drawing and save the drawing, the password is
required before any program or part of a program can read the data in the
drawing, even if the drawing is an external reference. A specific password
generally is required to be entered once per session.
If you encrypt drawing properties, such as the title, author, subject, and key-
words, then a password is required to view the properties and thumbnail
preview of the drawing. If you decide to specify an encryption type and key
length, you can select them from the ones available on your computer.
Note Settings for a password apply only to the current drawing.
To add a password while modifying a drawing
1 On the Tools menu, click Options.
2 In the Options dialog box, on the Open and Save tab, click Security
Options.
3 In the Security Options dialog box, on the Password tab, enter a password.