Open a protected pdf file in python

Question

I write a pdf cracking and found the password of the protected pdf file. I want to write a program in Python that can display that pdf file on the screen without password.I use the PyPDF library. I know how to open a file without the password, but can't figure out the protected one.Any idea? Thanks

filePath = raw_input()
password = 'abc'
if sys.platform.startswith('linux'):
       subprocess.call(["xdg-open", filePath])

Answer 1

The approach shown by KL84 basically works, but the code is not correct (it writes the output file for each page). A cleaned up version is here:

https://gist.github.com/bzamecnik/1abb64affb21322256f1c4ebbb59a364

# Decrypt password-protected PDF in Python.
# 
# Requirements:
# pip install PyPDF2

from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter

def decrypt_pdf(input_path, output_path, password):
  with open(input_path, 'rb') as input_file, \
    open(output_path, 'wb') as output_file:
    reader = PdfFileReader(input_file)
    reader.decrypt(password)

    writer = PdfFileWriter()

    for i in range(reader.getNumPages()):
      writer.addPage(reader.getPage(i))

    writer.write(output_file)

if __name__ == '__main__':
  # example usage:
  decrypt_pdf('encrypted.pdf', 'decrypted.pdf', 'secret_password')

Answer 2

You should use pikepdf library nowadays instead:

import pikepdf

with pikepdf.open("input.pdf", password="abc") as pdf:
    num_pages = len(pdf.pages)
    print("Total pages:", num_pages)

PyPDF2 doesn't support many encryption algorithms, pikepdf seems to solve them, it supports most of password protected methods, and also documented and actively maintained.