macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install pdfcracklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install pdfcrack with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman
PDF files password cracker. Version 0.21 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add pdfcrackAlpine Linux edge package indexes · pdfcrack · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install pdfcrackDebian stable package indexes · pdfcrack · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install pdfcrackFedora Rawhide package metadata · pdfcrack · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#pdfcracknixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/pd/pdfcrack/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S pdfcrackArch Linux sync databases · pdfcrack · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
PDF files password cracker
Project links
Commands and aliases
- pdfcrack
history
Project history and usage
PDFCrack is an open-source command-line tool for recovering passwords and content from PDF files. The official site describes it as small, dependency-free, and intended for GNU/Linux and other POSIX-compatible systems.
Project history
PDFCrack was written by Henning Noren after he lost access to a PDF he owned and wanted to learn more about PDF document security. The official FAQ says the project continued because there was no open-source or free PDF password recovery program that met that need.
The SourceForge project page records the project as registered on 2006-05-26, with GPLv2 licensing, C as the programming language, and a console/terminal user interface.
Adoption history
PDFCrack became a common package-manager security utility because it is narrow, portable, and easy to build. Its presence across Unix-like package ecosystems reflects the demand for a simple CLI that can run wordlist and brute-force recovery jobs without a larger cracking framework.
How it is used
The official feature list covers standard security handler revisions 2, 3, and 4, owner and user password recovery, wordlist and brute-force modes, simple permutations, benchmarking, and save/load of running jobs.
The FAQ frames supported use as recovering passwords or content the user owns but has lost access to. It explicitly says PDFCrack is not for changing or overriding copy, print, or permission restrictions.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, PDFCrack is the archetypal tiny security CLI: a single-purpose C tool, no external dependencies, packageable across POSIX systems, and useful in forensics or recovery contexts where a full GPU cracking suite is unnecessary.
Timeline
- 2006: SourceForge records the project registration date as 2006-05-26.
- 2008: The official website and FAQ show a last modified date of 2008-07-08.
- 2025: SourceForge records a project last update date of 2025-09-14.
Related projects
- PDFCrack is related by domain to broader password-recovery tools and PDF utilities, but the official project materials present it as a standalone command-line tool for PDF password recovery.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: red
escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal.
Risk classifier
red risk · medium confidence · escape-surveillance-offensive
Why
- escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal
Signals
- text:password cracker
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
pdfcrack | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.21
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:pdfcrack |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.21 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pdfcrack |
| Homepage | https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/ |
| Upstream docs | https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/pdfcrack/pdfcrack/pdfcrack-0.21/pdfcrack-0.21.tar.gz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | pdfcrack |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
pdfcrack 0.20-1
PDF files password cracker
sudo apt install pdfcrack- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
Nix95%
pdfcrack
nix profile install nixpkgs#pdfcrack- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
Ubuntu apt95%
pdfcrack 0.20-1
PDF files password cracker
sudo apt install pdfcrack- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
apk95%
pdfcrack 0.21-r0
Command line, password recovery tool for PDF-files.
https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/
sudo apk add pdfcrack- License: GPL-2.0
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pdfcrack
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
dnf95%
pdfcrack 0.21-2.fc44
A Password Recovery Tool for PDF files
http://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/
sudo dnf install pdfcrack- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: pdfcrack
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
pacman95%
pdfcrack 0.21-1
Password recovery tool for PDF-files
https://pdfcrack.sourceforge.net/
sudo pacman -S pdfcrack- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Pdfcrack
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment