Robert Willis (hacker)

Robert Willis, also known as rej_ex, is an American hacker and comic book writer. Willis 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 Natural News, which would ultimately be used to promote the candidacy of Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton; the pieces would reach over 30 million people a week prior to the 2016 election.[3][4][5]

Robert Willis
Willis in 2015
NationalityAmerican
Other namesrej_ex
Known forHacking, comic books
AwardsTexas Medal of Merit

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 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] 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]

Willis has been featured in the Wiley publications Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World,[12] Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity,[13] and Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity.[14]

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 run a massive fake news operation for Natural News from 2015–2017, which had promoted 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.[15][16] In 2021, Willis obtained the trademark for Gold Key Comics.[17]

Political activism

Willis has said he identifies as socially liberal and fiscally conservative.[3]

Bibliography

Wiley Publishing
  • Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World (contributing writer, August 2019)[12]
  • Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity (contributing writer, August 2019)[13]
  • Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity (contributing writer, September 2020)[14]
  • Corporate Cybersecurity: Identifying Risks and the Bug Bounty Program (forward, December 2021)[18]

Afterlife Comics
  • Neon Skyline (writer, letterer, artist, March 2021)[16]
  • The Hive Network (writer, colorist, letterer, artist, March 2021)[16]
  • Portals (writer, March 2021)[16]
  • Initiating ...Paraneon (writer, colorist, letterer, April 2021)[16]

References
  1. Sharma, Ax (May 6, 2021). "US physics lab Fermilab exposes proprietary data for all to see". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Privacy in Action: Robert Willis, Hacker & Author". Startpage. October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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. Anderson, Nate (October 18, 2021). "Disinformation guru "Hacker X" names his employer: NaturalNews.com". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 18, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Kennon, AnnMarie (January 31, 2020). "Ask an Expert: Hackers". Georgetown View. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. Khan, Usman (July 13, 2021). "Discussing Cybersecurity, and Part & Parcel of Ethical Hacking with Robert Willis". PureVPN. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. Sharma, Ax (March 12, 2021). "Researchers hacked Indian govt sites via exposed git and env files". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. Sharma, Ax (January 15, 2021). "Undisclosed Apache Velocity XSS vulnerability impacts GOV sites". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Bracken, Becky (August 10, 2021). "Connected Farms Easy Pickings for Global Food Supply-Chain Hack". ThreatPost. Retrieved September 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. "Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World". Wiley Publishing. Retrieved October 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. "Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity". Wiley Publishing. Retrieved October 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity". Wiley Publishing. Retrieved October 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. Coble, Sarah (November 12, 2020). "Ethical Hacker's Comic Dream Gets Backing". Infosecurity Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. Tabu, Hannibal (November 6, 2020). "Cyberpunk Comes To Life In Comics From Hacker Robert Willis' Paraneon". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. USPTO. "GOLD KEY - Willis, Robert Trademark Registration". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. Jackson, John (2021). Corporate Cybersecurity: Identifying Risks and the Bug Bounty Program. Wiley. ISBN 9781119782520.
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