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Forensic check

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN appears on 2.2% of modified results in our corpus. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it.

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Marker profile

Generator Fingerprinting

Signs of processing by an online PDF editing or conversion service.

Share of modified results
2.2%
Frequency rank
#17
Among the 56 markers seen in modified results
Certain confidence
12.7%
Of results with this marker rated certain rather than high
Fires alone
37.1%
Results where it is the only marker found

Marker profile

What HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN tells you

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN is one of the named findings returned in modification_markers when a PDF is reported as modified. It belongs to the Generator Fingerprinting group of checks. These checks compare the software a file claims to come from with what the file itself shows about how it was produced.

On 37.1% of the modified results that carry HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN it is the only marker. A result with this marker carries 2.2 markers on average. It is most often found together with HTPBE_PHYSICAL_SCAN_GEOMETRY, on 33.2% of these results.

Example API response

How it appears in a result

When a PDF is reported as modified, HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN is listed in modification_markers next to the verdict and its confidence. Each marker is a named, actionable finding – not a score.

GET /api/v1/result/{id}
{
  "id": "9f3a2c1d-8b47-4e6f-a012-3d5e7f890123",
  "status": "modified",
  "modification_confidence": "high",
  "modification_markers": [
    "HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN"
  ],
  "creator": "Adobe Acrobat Pro DC",
  "has_incremental_updates": true,
  "page_count": 3
}

Full schema in the API reference →

Distributions

What ships alongside HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN

The tools, formats and document traits that appear on the modified results carrying this marker. Shares are of those results.

Common Producers

iLovePDF writes 78.2% of these results – and 26.5% of all modified results naming it carry this marker.

iLovePDF26.5% of its modified78.2%
Pdftools SDK9.6% of its modified10.5%
PyPDF58.8% of its modified4.4%
DocHub100.0% of its modified2.6%
PDF Candy66.7% of its modified1.7%
PDF2460.0% of its modified1.3%

Common Creators

Microsoft Word is the Creator on 9.2% of these results.

Microsoft Word1.9% of its modified9.2%
Adobe Acrobat3.8% of its modified2.2%
EXCEL.EXE100.0% of its modified2.2%
PDF2450.0% of its modified1.3%

Often found together with

HTPBE_PHYSICAL_SCAN_GEOMETRY sits next to HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN more often than any other marker.

Document origin

Online editor97.4%
Analysis incomplete2.6%

Creator → Producer pairs

Microsoft Word → iLovePDF9.2%
Adobe Acrobat → iLovePDF2.2%
EXCEL.EXE → iLovePDF2.2%
PDF24 → PDF241.3%

Detected origin software

iLovePDF77.3%
Pdftools SDK10.5%
DocHub2.6%
pypdf2.6%
PDF Candy1.7%
PDF241.3%

Confidence of the verdict

Certain12.7%
High87.3%

When these results were checked

May 20269.2%
June 202611.4%
July 202613.5%
August 202623.1%
September 202620.5%
October 202616.2%
November 20266.1%

Document length

1 page35.8%
2–5 pages35.4%
6–20 pages21.8%
21–100 pages6.6%
100+ pages0.4%

File size

Under 100 KB25.3%
100 KB – 1 MB51.5%
1 – 5 MB19.7%
Over 5 MB3.5%

PDF versions

PDF 1.760.7%
PDF 1.415.7%
PDF 1.511.8%
PDF 1.67.9%
PDF 2.02.6%
PDF 1.31.3%

Year the document says it was created

20251.7%
202621.8%

Long tail

Notable observations

Smaller cuts of the results carrying HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN – useful context, but treat each row as a single data point rather than a strong signal.

Digitally signed
0.4%

Of files carry at least one digital signature

Saved revisions
7.0%

Of files contain earlier saved revisions

Embedded JavaScript
0.9%

Of files contain JavaScript code

Embedded files
3.1%

Of files have attachments inside

Avg pages per document
6.5
Markers per result
2.2

Average number of markers on these results

Related checks

Other Generator Fingerprinting checks

Checks from the same group. Each card links to its own reference page.

HTPBE_TOOL_VS_STRUCTURE_MISMATCHStructural evidence that contradicts the file’s stated origin
Share of modified14.8%
Seen together4.8%
HTPBE_FONT_VS_TOOL_MISMATCHFont handling that points to a different producer
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOREvidence of an earlier production history behind the current file
Share of modified0.4%
HTPBE_EDITING_TOOL_FINGERPRINTFingerprints of PDF editing software
Share of modified5.2%
HTPBE_DOCUMENT_RESTAMPED_AFTER_CREATIONDocument re-saved by another tool after its original creation
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_SELECTIVE_IDENTITY_EDITOrigin information partly removed or edited
Share of modified0.3%
HTPBE_IDENTITY_OVERWRITTENOrigin information replaced with that of different software
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_UNKNOWN_IDENTITY_CLAIMMetadata showing signs of having been rewritten
Share of modified1.5%
HTPBE_SCRIPTING_ON_REEMITTEDActive scripting added to the document after its original creation
Share of modified<0.1%
HTPBE_LAYERED_IDENTITY_DISAGREEMENTClaims about the producing software that do not hold up
Share of modified0.5%
HTPBE_IMPOSSIBLE_TOOL_PIPELINEAn implausible chain of production softwareHTPBE_IDENTITY_BLANKEDIdentifying details stripped from the document after production
Share of modified14.5%
HTPBE_DESIGN_TEMPLATE_ASSEMBLYPage content composed from separately produced parts
Share of modified16.5%
HTPBE_ALTERED_TYPEFACE_IDENTITYA font whose identity appears alteredHTPBE_TOOLCHAIN_DEFAULT_METADATA_RESIDUETraces of other software in the document’s productionHTPBE_PRINT_PIPELINE_TAMPERINGSigns of alteration in a document that was re-printed to PDFHTPBE_FONT_LAYER_INCONSISTENT_WITH_ISSUERTypography indicating the document was not produced by its stated issuer
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_PRODUCER_IDENTITY_FORGEDFabricated origin details that misstate how the document was produced
Share of modified0.1%

FAQ

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN: common questions

What does HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN mean?

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN is a named finding in an HTPBE? result: signs of processing by an online PDF editing or conversion service. It is returned in the modification_markers list of a modified result and belongs to the Generator Fingerprinting group of checks.

Does HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN mean the document is fake?

No. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it. It records that the file shows this pattern; it does not say why, and it does not assess what the document states. Read it together with the verdict and any other markers on the same result.

What should I do when a result contains HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN?

Ask the sender for the original file straight from the issuing system, or request a fresh copy from the issuer. Check whether the document went through a later step such as re-saving, merging or converting, and verify it with the issuer before relying on it for a decision.

How common is HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN?

HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN appears on 2.2% of the modified results in the HTPBE? corpus. The corpus consists of PDFs people chose to submit for checking, so it skews towards documents someone had a reason to doubt and is not a sample of all PDFs.

Where do I see HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGIN?

In the modification_markers list of the result returned by the HTPBE? API, and on the result page of a modified document. Other checks in the Generator Fingerprinting group are listed below on this page; all 63 checks are listed on the how-it-works page.

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