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Robert Willis (hacker)

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Robert Willis
Willis in 2015
NationalityAmerican
Other namesrej_ex
Known forHacking, comic books

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]

Early life

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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

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Hacking

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Cybersecurity

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c Sharma, Ax (May 6, 2021). "US physics lab Fermilab exposes proprietary data for all to see". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Privacy in Action: Robert Willis, Hacker & Author". Startpage. October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c Anderson, Nate (October 18, 2021). "Disinformation guru 'Hacker X' names his employer: NaturalNews.com". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  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. ^ a b Kennon, AnnMarie (January 31, 2020). "Ask an Expert: Hackers". Georgetown View. Georgetown, Texas. Retrieved September 11, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Khan, Usman (July 13, 2021). "Discussing Cybersecurity, and Part & Parcel of Ethical Hacking with Robert Willis". PureVPN. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Sharma, Ax (March 12, 2021). "Researchers hacked Indian govt sites via exposed git and env files". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Sharma, Ax (January 15, 2021). "Undisclosed Apache Velocity XSS vulnerability impacts GOV sites". BleepingComputer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Bracken, Becky (August 10, 2021). "Connected Farms Easy Pickings for Global Food Supply-Chain Hack". ThreatPost. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Coble, Sarah (November 12, 2020). "Ethical Hacker's Comic Dream Gets Backing". Infosecurity Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e Tabu, Hannibal (November 6, 2020). "Cyberpunk Comes To Life In Comics From Hacker Robert Willis' Paraneon". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  14. ^ USPTO. "GOLD KEY - Willis, Robert Trademark Registration". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Koch, Robert (August 4, 2010). "Tea Party back in Norwalk for primary". The Hour. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Gaylord, Joan (May 21, 2010). "Republicans Invite Tea Party Activity". Norwalk Daily Voice. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Willis, Robert. "Statement: 10/18/21". Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  18. ^ mycitizensnews (October 8, 2014). "GOP endorses Willis in 105th". Citizen's News. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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