Robert Willis (hacker)

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Robert Willis
Willis-robert-hacker (cropped) (cropped).jpg
Willis in 2015
NationalityAmerican
Other namesrej_ex
Known forHacking, comic books
AwardsTexas Medal of Merit

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 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]

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,[5] later receiving a Texas Medal of Merit for his cybersecurity work.[6] He was also employed for a time at Threatcare, a cyberattack simulation company.[7] As of 2020, Willis was a managing member of 1337, Inc., a defensive cybersecurity company based in Austin, Texas.[6] 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,[8] the Fermilab particle physics laboratory,[1] Ford,[9] and John Deere.[10]

Willis has been featured in the Wiley publications Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World,[11] Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity,[12] and Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity.[13]

Hacker X[]

In October 2021, Willis revealed in an Ars Technica profile that he was "Hacker X", a previously anonymous individual described by in her 2020 book, Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth.[3]

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.[14][15] In 2021, Willis obtained the trademark for Gold Key Comics.[16]

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)[11]
  • Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity (contributing writer, August 2019)[12]
  • Tribe of Hackers Blue Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Defensive Cybersecurity (contributing writer, September 2020)[13]
  • Corporate Cybersecurity: Identifying Risks and the Bug Bounty Program (forward, December 2021)[17]

Afterlife Comics[]

  • Neon Skyline (writer, letterer, artist, March 2021)[15]
  • The Hive Network (writer, colorist, letterer, artist, March 2021)[15]
  • Portals (writer, March 2021)[15]
  • Initiating ...Paraneon (writer, colorist, letterer, April 2021)[15]

References[]

  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b "Privacy in Action: Robert Willis, Hacker & Author". Startpage. October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d 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. ^ 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)
  6. ^ a b Kennon, AnnMarie (January 31, 2020). "Ask an Expert: Hackers". Georgetown View. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ 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)
  8. ^ 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)
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ a b "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)
  12. ^ a b "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)
  13. ^ a b "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)
  14. ^ 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)
  15. ^ 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ USPTO. "GOLD KEY - Willis, Robert Trademark Registration". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved September 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Jackson, John (2021). Corporate Cybersecurity: Identifying Risks and the Bug Bounty Program. Wiley. ISBN 9781119782520.

External links[]

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