8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Forum for the PDF-XChange Editor - Free and Licensed Versions

Moderators: TrackerSupp-Daniel, Tracker Support, Paul - Tracker Supp, Vasyl-Tracker Dev Team, Chris - Tracker Supp, Sean - Tracker, Ivan - Tracker Software, Tracker Supp-Stefan

Post Reply
husetech
User
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:48 am

8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by husetech »

Hello folks,

we are using the latest Version of XCHANGE PDF PRO (8.0) in a terminal server environment.
We would like to use our physical smartcards to sign PDF documents. We do have card readers (external and internal within the Notebook).
Other PDF signing software like secsigner can read and use our cards without any issues (we forward the smartcards to the terminal server within RDP).

I recently contacted the support and they offered to add support for such cards in version 8.0.
Now that it is released I ran some tests and couldn't get the smartcards to work.
PDF XCHANGE doesn't seem to find the cards. Now I am wondering if I am doing something wrong.

What steps do I do?
1. insert the physical smart card into the card reader
2. open a PDF in PDF XCHANGE PRO Editor
3. Use the "sign document" button to place the signature.
4. After choosing the signatur location I get a popup window asking me for the certificate.
- Here are two options: 1. Use a certfificate from the certificate store within windows or 2. use a software certificte

Both options seem not possible since it is a physical smartcard and not within the windows cert store and it is also not a software cert.

Does anyone came across this issue and possible has a solution for it?
Appriciate any help!

Best regards
Justin
User avatar
Tracker Supp-Stefan
Site Admin
Posts: 17820
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:07 am
Location: London
Contact:

Re: 8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello Justin,

Thanks for your post!
First let me start with something 'off topic'.
While your avatar image is in no way violating any forum rules - we use this for team members and when looking at the list of active topics - this red image is a quick visual indicator that a team member has answered a topic and we can focus on others. So I subconsciously passed your post a few times before noticing that the name for the last reply wasn't also red (as is for team members), and coming to rad this topic and realize it's not yet answered. So while we are happy for you to keep the current icon, if you consider changing it - we might be able to provide you with replies faster in the future!

And now for the actual problem. The hardware Smart card that you have inserted in the computer will generate a software certificate. So please try selecting the second option that you described yourself below - and see if with that you will then be able to use the correct certificate from the smart card, and let us know the result!

Regards,
Stefan
husetech
User
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:48 am

Re: 8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by husetech »

Hey Stefan,
understood and done :)

Back to the problem:
I understand what you mean but unfortunately I cannot find the certificate in the folder view.
Is there any particular place in which the certficate appears once the smartcard is connected?

Regarding my google search, this topic doesn't seem to be discussed very often, thus I wasn't able to find any usefull information about that.

Best regards
Justin
husetech
User
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:48 am

Re: 8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by husetech »

If I am not mistaken, this article from MS describes that you cannot display a smartcard within a file explorer.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... smart-card

The application has to take over the search for a smart card.
I think this means that our setup would not work with PDF XCHANGE PRO Editor.
User avatar
TrackerSupp-Daniel
Site Admin
Posts: 8436
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 6:52 pm

Re: 8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

Hello Husetech,

This should still be working within the Editor, provided that the key is in place correctly and you have the appropriate cryptoprovider available (if other applications are working than this should be present) even with your setup.

When a new card is present the relevant certificates should appear in the bottom of the list within the Editor when signing. If these do not appear immediately within the Editor, please click on Browse to switch to the windows handler for certificates and see if they appear there. If even windows is unable to see them, there may be an issue with the smartcard itself.
image.png
Can you please check to see if the certificates appear in either area?
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
Tracker Software Products (Canada) LTD

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Our Web site domain and email address has changed as of 26/10/2023.
https://www.pdf-xchange.com
Support@pdf-xchange.com
husetech
User
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:48 am

Re: 8.0.330.0 - Using smart cards to sign PDF

Post by husetech »

It will not find any certificate, maybe it is because of the legal regulation we have to follow regarding our smart cards.
Our smart cards are able to make a qualified digital signitures, which is not possbile for example with pure software certificates.
Qualified digital signatures use the signaturealgorithm RSASSA-PSS as for software certificates this is not the case.

Maybe this regulation somehow makes this card unfindable by XCHANGE PDF.
Special signature software like secsigner https://seccommerce.com/secsigner/ do find the card within the card reader.
Post Reply