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[TheBoy]

Depends on the encryption used. There are many, many popular encryption systems that are not feasible to break. Brute force is rarely successful, assuming no deictionary words.

I agree 100%, but the fact it can be broken if you can be bothered to wait 1 week/ 1 month/ 1 year means it isn't secure in the first place.

I know full well it can take computers like Deep Blue over 100 years to crack certain encryption algorithms, the point I was trying to convey is that a simple password protection on files such as *.pdf's, *.rar's, etc isn't worth 2 bob as a semi trained lab rat can break them with a £299 computer from PC World in a very reasonable time frame.

Many application passwords are a bit lame.  ZIP's ones are pretty good, as by the time its brute forced, chances are the info in it is redundant.

Ultimately, any encrypted document that is distributed in any form - electronic or paper - can be decrypted given enough time.

[Mr Skrunts]

I would also challenge your emplyer as to why the change.

Simple...compressed TIFF takes up much less disk space, hence saves on bandwidth when it is mailed (bandwidth is money).

A .PDF can be passworded allthough I doubt your company was doing this either.  Maybe a ,TIF can be made secure but I am not sure about this, but if attached as a .ZIP/RAR file then thay can be passworded.

While you are 100% correct in that e-mail is not a secure medium, don't be lulled in to a false sense of security by thinking that password protecting/encrypting a file stops it being accessed by others who are unauthorised, because it doesn't.

Am certainly not that naive.

It's just a bit of added protection that stops the basic nosey git having a nosey.  If some one is intend at looking there will be a way in.