Mac Cheat Sheet

Remember the first rule of computer security? Not writing down all the important stuff like passwords and account names in one place? Kind of fundamental, right? Well, it looks like Apple has just about had it with people being unable to remember basic information like passwords and account names when working with them to provide support for their computers. They've created what they call a Mac "cheat sheet" with the intention that you--or more likely a mac-savvy relative or coworker--write down all these basic facts and then you carefully store the sheet away.

Unless you're the sort of person who wouldn't remember this information in the first place. So you'd probably keep the sheet on-hand, right?

Admittedly, the form contains all the information that could really help a service tech: which OS you're using, the amount of memory in your computer, and the kind of processor. But it also details your user account password, up to three keychain passwords, a password for your ISP, passwords for your email account, your work account, and so forth. This is offset by six light gray repetitions of the phrase "don't forget to hide me", which I guess immunizes Apple from losses due to security breaches.

So bottom line? The cheat sheet is a well-intentioned idea that, when used as intended, could really help during service calls, but when used in its most likely scenario will introduce unacceptable security risks.