Apple: Write down your passwords

Apple advises Mac users to write down their passwords, just in case they have forgotten them when they are needed.

On its Mac 101 Web site, Apple offers a document called "My Mac Cheat Sheet" (PDF). The document has spaces for Mac users to not just record their Mac OS X related usernames and passwords, but also log-in credentials for e-mail accounts, Internet access accounts and routers.

"To make your Mac life a little easier, we created this little form for you--or your Mac-savvy family member or friend--to enter all that easy-to-forget information once, and then stow it safely away should you ever need it," Apple states on its Web site.

Now, you might think that Apple has gone bonkers. Actually, it has not. Writing down your password on a sticky note and attaching that to your computer monitor or the bottom of a keyboard isn't smart, but jotting down the information and storing it in a safe place can be helpful.

In fact, Sun Microsystems security guru Whitfield Diffie and Microsoft's Jesper Johansson have said the same. (Although Microsoft's Bill Gates has also repeatedly said that passwords are the weakest link in the security chain and that they should be replaced by stronger security systems such as smart cards.)

So, even if you're not a Mac user, Apple's document may come in handy. Just scratch out some of the Mac specific entries and replace them with Windows entries. Good luck finding all those passwords! (And remember, store that sheet in a safe place!)