Robert_Willis_(hacker)

Robert Willis (hacker)

Robert Willis (hacker)

Ethical hacker and publisher of comics

Robert Willis, also known as rej_ex, is an American hacker and comic book writer. He is known for his work with the Sakura Samurai white-hat hacking group, and his contributions to the Wiley Tribe of Hackers book series.[1][2] In 2015, he helped build a platform and strategy for news syndication for his client Natural News, a fake news website. The site was ultimately used to promote the candidacy of Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton across hundreds of sister websites; the pieces would reach over 30 million people a week prior to the 2016 election.[3][4][5]

Quick Facts Nationality, Other names ...

Early life

Willis was born in Stamford, Connecticut and raised by his mother and her family, who had immigrated to the United States from Italy.[3]

Willis became interested in computers at a young age, and began working online with hacker groups. He later identified the movies Hackers and The Matrix as contributors to his interest in hacking.[2]

Career

Hacking

Willis has worked in offensive security and red teaming for the military,[6] later receiving a Texas Medal of Merit for his cybersecurity work.[7][verification needed] He was also employed for a time at Threatcare, a cyberattack simulation company.[8] As of 2020, Willis was a managing member of 1337, Inc., a defensive cybersecurity company based in Austin, Texas.[7] He is also a member of the Sakura Samurai hacking group.[1] Through his work with Sakura Samurai, Willis has been involved in discovering security issues affecting Indian governmental groups,[9] the Fermilab particle physics laboratory,[1] Ford,[10] and John Deere.[11]

Misinformation

In October 2021, Willis revealed in an Ars Technica profile that he was "Hacker X", a previously anonymous individual described by Theresa Payton in her 2020 book, Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth.[3] Willis described how he had helped build a disinformation network and run a massive fake news operation for Natural News, a website known for anti-vax conspiracies and for promoting then presidential candidate Donald J. Trump.[5] From 2015–2017, Willis and Natural News helped promote the candidacy of Donald Trump, spread hoaxes, and published political propaganda.[3][4][5]

Comic books

Willis’s first comic series was called Paraneon, which included three titles: The Hive Network, Neon Skyline, and Portals. The books were originally launched as a Kickstarter, eventually raising over 300% of the original funding goal.[12][13] In 2021, Willis obtained the trademark for Gold Key Comics.[14]

Political activism

Willis was an activist in the Connecticut Tea Party movement starting in 2009,[15] and acted as the head of its 4th Congressional district campaign. He caused a rift internally after threatening to vote Republicans out of office.[16][17] Willis received the nomination from the Republican Party for State Representative in the 105th District of Connecticut in 2014.[18][17] In 2021, Willis told Ars Technica that he identifies as socially liberal and fiscally conservative.[3]

Bibliography

Cybersecurity

  • Contributing writer in: Carey, Marcus J.; Jin, Jennifer (2019). Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781119643395. ISBN 978-1-119-64338-8.
  • Contributing writer in: Carey, Marcus J.; Jin, Jennifer (2019). Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781119643357. ISBN 978-1-119-64333-3.
  • Contributing writer in: Carey, Marcus J.; Jin, Jennifer (2020). Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781119643432. ISBN 978-1-119-64342-5.
  • "Foreword". in Jackson, John (2021). Corporate Cybersecurity: Identifying Risks and the Bug Bounty Program. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781119782568. ISBN 978-1-1197-8252-0.

Comics

  • Neon Skyline (writer, letterer, artist, March 2021)[13]
  • The Hive Network (writer, colorist, letterer, artist, March 2021)[13]
  • Portals (writer, March 2021)[13]
  • Initiating ...Paraneon (writer, colorist, letterer, April 2021)[13]

References

  1. [1]
    Sharma, Ax (May 6, 2021). "US physics lab Fermilab exposes proprietary data for all to see". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Privacy in Action: Robert Willis, Hacker & Author". Startpage. October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  3. [3]
    Sharma, Ax (October 14, 2021). ""Hacker X"—the American who built a pro-Trump fake news empire—unmasks himself". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  4. [4]
    Payton, Theresa (2020). Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-3350-7. OCLC 1112375124.
  5. [5]
    Anderson, Nate (October 18, 2021). "Disinformation guru 'Hacker X' names his employer: NaturalNews.com". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  6. [6]
    Jackson, John (January 22, 2021). "Episode 200: Sakura Samurai Wants To Make Hacking Groups Cool Again. And: Automating Our Way Out of PKI Chaos". The Security Ledger with Paul F. Roberts. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  7. [7]
    Kennon, AnnMarie (January 31, 2020). "Ask an Expert: Hackers". Georgetown View. Georgetown, Texas. Retrieved September 11, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  8. [8]
    Khan, Usman (July 13, 2021). "Discussing Cybersecurity, and Part & Parcel of Ethical Hacking with Robert Willis". PureVPN. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  9. [9]
    Sharma, Ax (March 12, 2021). "Researchers hacked Indian govt sites via exposed git and env files". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  10. [10]
    Sharma, Ax (January 15, 2021). "Undisclosed Apache Velocity XSS vulnerability impacts GOV sites". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  11. [11]
    Bracken, Becky (August 10, 2021). "Connected Farms Easy Pickings for Global Food Supply-Chain Hack". ThreatPost. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. [12]
    Coble, Sarah (November 12, 2020). "Ethical Hacker's Comic Dream Gets Backing". Infosecurity Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  13. [13]
    Tabu, Hannibal (November 6, 2020). "Cyberpunk Comes To Life In Comics From Hacker Robert Willis' Paraneon". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  14. [14]
    USPTO. "GOLD KEY - Willis, Robert Trademark Registration". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  15. [15]
    Koch, Robert (August 4, 2010). "Tea Party back in Norwalk for primary". The Hour. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  16. [16]
    Gaylord, Joan (May 21, 2010). "Republicans Invite Tea Party Activity". Norwalk Daily Voice. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  17. [17]
    Willis, Robert. "Statement: 10/18/21". Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  18. [18]
    mycitizensnews (October 8, 2014). "GOP endorses Willis in 105th". Citizen's News. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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