140 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
140 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
# Best Practices for Secure File Sharing
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Guidelines for protecting your privacy when sharing files.
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## Before Sharing Files
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### 1. Always Check Metadata First
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```bash
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mst read yourfile.pdf
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```
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Review the output for any sensitive information.
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### 2. Scrub Before Sharing
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```bash
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mst scrub yourfile.pdf --output ./clean
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```
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Always use the cleaned version for sharing.
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### 3. Verify Removal
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```bash
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mst verify yourfile.pdf ./clean/processed_yourfile.pdf
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```
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Confirm sensitive data was actually removed.
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---
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## File Type Specific Guidance
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### 📸 Images
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**High Risk:** Photos from smartphones contain GPS coordinates by default.
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```bash
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# Batch process all photos before uploading
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mst scrub ./photos -r -ext jpg --output ./clean
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```
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**Tip:** Disable location services for your camera app to prevent GPS embedding.
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### 📄 PDF Documents
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**High Risk:** PDFs often contain author name, creator software, and sometimes revision history.
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```bash
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mst scrub report.pdf --output ./clean
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```
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**Note:** This tool removes document properties. For redacting visible content, use a dedicated PDF editor.
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### 📊 Office Documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
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**High Risk:** Office files store author, company, and modification history.
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```bash
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# Process all Word documents
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mst scrub ./documents -r -ext docx --output ./clean
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```
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---
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## Workflow Integration
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### For Regular File Sharing
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1. Create a "clean" folder for processed files
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2. Before sharing, always scrub to that folder
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3. Share only from the clean folder
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### For Automated Pipelines
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```bash
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# In CI/CD or scripts
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mst scrub ./output -r -ext pdf --output ./publish
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```
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### For Verification
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```bash
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# Verify before publishing
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mst verify original.pdf ./publish/processed_original.pdf
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```
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---
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## What's Preserved (And Why)
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| Property | Reason |
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|----------|--------|
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| Created Date | File organization, audit trails |
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| Modified Date | Version tracking |
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| Language | Accessibility, screen readers |
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These properties are generally not privacy-sensitive and are often needed for file management.
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---
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## Common Mistakes to Avoid
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1. **Sharing the original instead of the processed file**
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- Always verify you're sharing from the output folder
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2. **Not checking the output**
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- Use `mst verify` to confirm removal
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3. **Forgetting about PDFs**
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- PDF author metadata is often overlooked
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4. **Batch processing without verification**
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- Spot-check a few files after batch processing
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5. **Assuming social media strips metadata**
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- Many platforms compress but don't fully remove metadata
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---
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## Quick Reference
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```bash
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# Read metadata
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mst read file.jpg
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# Scrub single file
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mst scrub file.jpg --output ./clean
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# Scrub directory
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mst scrub ./folder -r -ext jpg --output ./clean
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# Preview without changes
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mst scrub ./folder -r -ext jpg --dry-run
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# Verify removal
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mst verify original.jpg ./clean/processed_original.jpg
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```
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