[dgleet]

I recently went on a government website to get a form. There was an option to fill in the form on-line so I took it. When done, the page said I should download the resulting file. I did. It was an .xdf file. Well, I generally knew about this format but this was the first time I had encountered it "in public."

I opened the file in my browser and saw that it had all the personal information I had entered as plain text xml and it had a blob that I assume was a compressed pdf form document. The web site said that this document could ONLY be reconstituted using Adobe or Adobe Reader.

Ummm... I thought this should be a security risk... I had to receive the document and it had an embedded blob requiring a specialized reader/macro and it had my personal information- a substantial amount in one place, including political party affiliation- that was transmitted across the net in plain text.

Apparently that specialized reader, Adobe Reader, is the only one that can reconstitute the document. I personally prefer NOT using Adobe Reader for anything because of its size, performance, and security risks.

I called the person "in charge" and he gave me the bureaucratic answer that the information was all "public" knowledge by going to this or that place.

What say you? How risky? Any other readers?

[Szczecinianin]

Hi,

Try one of these. Also see this Wikipedia entry for more XDF info. Seems this format is not developed any more. As to security, was the form you filled at least https? Only strong encryption can guarantee 100% confidentiality and as a rule bureaucrats all over the world know little about IT.

And Szczecin longest street, measuring seven kilometers, is Wojska Polskiego Avenue from downtown to the forest.