Adjusting the timeout value for PDF unpacking

This article applies to:

• Trustwave MailMarshal (SEG) 7.2 and above
• Unpacking and scanning of PDF documents

Question:

• What is the timeout for unpacking of PDF documents?
• How can I adjust the timeout for unpacking of PDF documents?

Procedure:

SEG 7.2 introduces a timeout value for unpacking of PDF documents. If unpacking exceeds the timeout, the email message is deadlettered. The purpose of this functionality is to prevent malformed or extremely complex documents consuming all system resources.

The default timeout value is 4 minutes. This value should be ample for any well formed PDF document.

If necessary, you can adjust the setting by adding a Registry value.

To create or edit this setting:

1. On the Array Manager, edit the Registry (10.X: use Advanced Settings in the Management Console)
2. Navigate to the SEG Engine key:
   • In version 8.X: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Trustwave\Secure Email Gateway\Default\Engine
   • 10.X: value names have the prefix Engine. (Engine dot).
   • For full details of the location for each product version, see article Q10832.
3. Add (or edit) the DWORD (integer) value PDFUnpackTimeout
4. Set the value to the desired timeout in SECONDS (use decimal entry).
   • The default value (if the value does not exist in Registry) is 240 seconds.
5. Commit configuration changes.
6. Restart the Engine service.

Warning: As always, take due care when editing the Registry. Make a backup before making changes.