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MARQUETTE -- Having to protect your passwords from hackers is difficult enough. Managing them can be even harder.

"I think the best way is to keep it up here," said Eric Sundell, a PC technician at 906 Technologies, as he points to his head.

It's your best option when it comes to managing your passwords. Don't write them on a sticky note, or keep them in your work drawer, or have a list with all of your passwords in one place. It seems like common sense, but it happens more often than not. A mistake, like web user Kyle Fraley made, that could cost you your identity.

"I've had my email compromised back when I had weak passwords," said Fraley of 906 Technologies. "You have to go in, authenticate yourself and reset your password."

Having a weak, easy-to-remember password means easy to guess. To create a strong password, use both letters and numbers and sometimes symbols. Many websites also require using both uppercase and lowercase letters. Don't use the actual word 'password.' It's one of the many on the most common list, right above your birth date, name and social security number. Managing them poorly can also mean having the same one for your Facebook, bank accounts and e-mail.

"You don't want to have them be the same because if someone finds out one password, then they've got access to everything, not just one small segment of your information," Sundell said.

So what can you do if you can't keep a mental note?

"If you have a safe at home and you write your passwords, it'd maybe be something to keep it in. Something like that--something locked, something that not anyone can get access to," Sundell said.

Another option is a phone app that allows you to store all your passwords in one place. Then again, there's a password for that, too.