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Forensic check

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED appears on 0.2% 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

Digital Signatures

Evidence that a digital signature was stripped after signing.

Share of modified results
0.2%
Frequency rank
#41
Among the 56 markers seen in modified results
Certain confidence
100.0%
Of results with this marker rated certain rather than high
Fires alone
15.8%
Results where it is the only marker found

Marker profile

What HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED tells you

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED is one of the named findings returned in modification_markers when a PDF is reported as modified. It belongs to the Digital Signatures group of checks. These checks look at whether a digital signature is still in place and whether anything changed after it was applied.

On 15.8% of the modified results that carry HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED it is the only marker. A result with this marker carries 3.5 markers on average. It is most often found together with HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE, on 57.9% of these results.

Example API response

How it appears in a result

When a PDF is reported as modified, HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED 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_SIGNATURE_REMOVED"
  ],
  "creator": "Adobe Acrobat Pro DC",
  "has_incremental_updates": true,
  "page_count": 3
}

Full schema in the API reference →

Distributions

What ships alongside HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED

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

Common Creators

Microsoft Word is the Creator on 15.8% of these results.

Microsoft Word0.3% of its modified15.8%

Often found together with

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE sits next to HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED more often than any other marker.

Document origin

Institutional52.6%
Consumer software42.1%

Detected origin software

Microsoft Word15.8%

Confidence of the verdict

Certain94.7%

When these results were checked

March 20265.3%
April 202621.1%
May 20265.3%
June 20265.3%
July 20265.3%
August 20265.3%
September 202626.3%
October 202621.1%
November 20265.3%

Document length

1 page52.6%
2–5 pages15.8%
6–20 pages15.8%
21–100 pages10.5%

File size

Under 100 KB26.3%
100 KB – 1 MB63.2%
1 – 5 MB10.5%

PDF versions

PDF 1.736.8%
PDF 1.626.3%
PDF 1.415.8%
PDF 1.515.8%

Year the document says it was created

202515.8%
202652.6%

Long tail

Notable observations

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

Digitally signed
5.3%

Of files carry at least one digital signature

Saved revisions
21.1%

Of files contain earlier saved revisions

Embedded JavaScript
0%

Of files contain JavaScript code

Embedded files
5.3%

Of files have attachments inside

Avg pages per document
5.3
Markers per result
3.5

Average number of markers on these results

Related checks

Other Digital Signatures checks

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

HTPBE_POST_SIGNATURE_EDITContent changed after the document was digitally signed
Share of modified1.6%

FAQ

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED: common questions

What does HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED mean?

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED is a named finding in an HTPBE? result: evidence that a digital signature was stripped after signing. It is returned in the modification_markers list of a modified result and belongs to the Digital Signatures group of checks.

Does HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED 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_SIGNATURE_REMOVED?

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_SIGNATURE_REMOVED?

HTPBE_SIGNATURE_REMOVED appears on 0.2% 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_SIGNATURE_REMOVED?

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 Digital Signatures group are listed below on this page; all 63 checks are listed on the how-it-works page.

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