Chainguard, the software supply-chain security company (secure-by-default container images, Java/OSS libraries), runs one of the most distinctive LinkedIn programs in cybersecurity: almost every ad is a 'thought-leader' ad promoted through a named security influencer's own profile rather than the brand's. It pairs this creator-amplification engine (Clint Gibler, Jason Haddix, Chris Hughes, Kayla Williams, Quincy Castro, plus its own execs Dan Lorenc and Matt Moore) with original research, customer proof, and a few direct product ads.
How Chainguard advertises: Chainguard's signature move is running its ads as thought-leader ads — LinkedIn's format where a creator's post is boosted under their name, 'Promoted by Chainguard.' It has built a roster of respected security voices who each carry a Chainguard message in their own words: Clint Gibler (tl;dr sec) on the pace of supply-chain attacks, Jason Haddix on 'The hardest fork' and the Trivy incident ('Chainguard customers unaffected by the Trivy supply chain attack'), Chris Hughes and exec Matt Moore on 'Mythos pulls zero-days forward,' and Kayla Williams with '5 board-ready metrics for CISOs.' The same creative is often amplified through several creators at once (the VPBank customer story runs under both Quincy Castro and Behn Williams; the Mythos creative under both Hughes and Moore) — one asset, many trusted messengers. Around the creator engine sit original research (the 'State of Trusted Open Source' report), customer proof (VPBank cut CVEs 90%+), founder visibility (a creative featuring CEO Dan Lorenc on stage), and direct brand product ads (a magenta 'Chainguard Libraries for Java / CVE remediation'). Everything is paid for in-house by Chainguard, Inc.
A creator-led program: mostly thought-leader ads through named security influencers and Chainguard execs, plus research, customer proof, and a few direct product ads.
| Format | What Chainguard uses it for |
|---|---|
| Thought-leader ad | creator posts boosted under named influencers' profiles, 'Promoted by Chainguard' |
| Multi-creator amplification | the same creative run through several named voices at once |
| Original research | the 'State of Trusted Open Source' report |
| Customer proof | a VPBank customer story carried by CISO creators |
| Direct product ad | brand-name creatives for Chainguard Libraries / CVE remediation |
Live Chainguard creatives with their full ad copy (verbatim), format, theme and CTA.
"Verbatim: "Attackers are using AI to find 0-days faster than ever before, while developers are using AI to build even faster." Boosted under Clint Gibler (tl;dr sec newsletter), 'Promoted by Chainguard,' with a creative featuring CEO Dan Lorenc on stage. A trusted creator carries the message; the founder gets the visibility."
"Verbatim: "More vulnerabilities are being found faster than ever. The key now is knowing which matter. Chainguard's State of Trusted Open Source report has some interesting findings..." Original research (June 2026), promoted through Clint Gibler's profile — data as the hook, delivered by a trusted voice."
"Verbatim: "Huge thanks to our sponsor this week, Chainguard! AI just broke coordinated disclosure." Boosted under Jason Haddix (Hacker, CEO, CISO), framed explicitly as sponsored content within his own commentary. Chainguard borrows the credibility of a well-known offensive-security voice."
"Verbatim intro: "Every unpatched CVE is a bet that no one exploits it before you fix it. And for teams stuck on older versions of Java, the odds get worse every year you put off patching. (We're talking 242 new CVEs published daily, up 80%...)" A rare direct brand ad (bold magenta) for the Java libraries product — the product pitch behind the thought leadership."
"Verbatim: "If Mythos can find and weaponize a zero-day autonomously, the working exploit arrives before the CVE does." Boosted under Chris Hughes (Securing AI @ Noma, Founder @ Resilient Cyber). A timely AI-threat hook carried by a named author and advisor."
"Verbatim: "The real lesson from the Trivy incident isn't the attack. It's what it exposed. One compromised open source tool put confidential data at risk..." A 'secure-by-default' proof creative tied to a real, named incident (Trivy), carried by Jason Haddix. Newsjacking an incident as live proof."
"Verbatim: "OpenAI's new cybersecurity action plan makes it explicit: AI turns open source vulnerabilities into systemic risk. Hard to argue with that." A text-only boosted post from co-founder/CTO Matt Moore — Chainguard runs its own execs as creators, not just external influencers."
"Verbatim: "Having sat on both sides of the board table conversation about vulnerabilities..." A shareable checklist infographic (vulnerability remediation backlog, accrual rate, MTTR...) boosted under award-winning CISO Kayla Williams. Practical, saveable content matched to the CISO buyer, in a CISO's own voice."
"Verbatim: "VPBank, one of Vietnam's largest banks with more than 30 million customers, just cut CVEs by over 90% and reduced patch time to practically zero." A customer story boosted under CISO Quincy Castro — named-customer proof delivered by a peer CISO rather than the brand."
"The same VPBank customer story, run a second time under a different named voice — Behn Williams (Field CTO @ Chainguard, formerly BNY, McLagan, Bank of America). Chainguard amplifies one asset through multiple credible messengers at once."
"The same Mythos creative as the Chris Hughes ad, run again under co-founder/CTO Matt Moore with a CTA bar ('Anthropic's Mythos is reshaping zero-day threats. Learn how Chainguard helps...'). One creative, two trusted messengers — the multi-creator engine in action."
All creatives shown belong to Chainguard (Chainguard, Inc., the software-supply-chain security company at chainguard.dev) and are reproduced verbatim from the LinkedIn Ad Library for commentary and analysis. All ads are paid for by Chainguard, Inc. The ads are thought-leader ads boosted under named individuals' profiles — Clint Gibler, Jason Haddix, Chris Hughes, Kayla Williams, Quincy Castro, Behn Williams, and Chainguard execs Matt Moore and Dan Lorenc — and reference customer VPBank and the third-party Trivy incident, all as shown in Chainguard's own creative. Two cards here show the same creative amplified through a second named creator, included to illustrate that multi-creator strategy. Digital Astronauts is not affiliated with Chainguard or the individuals named.
Almost every Chainguard ad is boosted under a named creator's profile ('Promoted by Chainguard'), not the brand handle. In a skeptical category, a message from a trusted human reads as commentary, not an ad — a fundamentally different trust posture than brand-handle creative.
Chainguard doesn't rely on one influencer — it runs Clint Gibler, Jason Haddix, Chris Hughes, Kayla Williams, Quincy Castro and its own execs. A stable of respected voices lets it match the messenger to the message and the buyer (hacker, CISO, AI-security author).
The VPBank story and the Mythos creative each run under multiple named people simultaneously. Reusing one strong asset across several trusted profiles multiplies reach and credibility without multiplying production.
'Chainguard customers unaffected by the Trivy supply chain attack' turns a live, named industry incident into instant proof of the secure-by-default promise. Tying your value to a real event that just happened is far more persuasive than a generic claim.
Chainguard runs co-founder Matt Moore and CEO Dan Lorenc as on-profile voices too. Founders and execs with genuine credibility are an owned, always-available channel — treat them as part of the creator roster, not just the brand.
We build LinkedIn and paid programs for high-consideration B2B and cybersecurity buyers — measured on pipeline, not impressions.
Book a free ad auditAlmost entirely through thought-leader ads: creator posts boosted under named security influencers' own profiles ('Promoted by Chainguard'), including Clint Gibler, Jason Haddix, Chris Hughes, Kayla Williams and Quincy Castro, plus its own execs Dan Lorenc and Matt Moore. Around that sit original research, customer proof, and a few direct product ads. All paid for in-house by Chainguard, Inc.
That AI is accelerating software-supply-chain attacks and turning open-source vulnerabilities into systemic risk — and that Chainguard's secure-by-default images and libraries let teams stay ahead (e.g. VPBank cut CVEs 90%+, and Chainguard customers were unaffected by the Trivy incident).
Because in a skeptical security market, a message from a trusted, named human is more credible than a brand ad. A roster of respected voices lets Chainguard match messenger to buyer, and running one asset through several creators at once multiplies reach and trust.
Run creative as thought-leader ads through credible named voices rather than the brand handle; build a roster (including your own execs) so you can match messenger to message; amplify one strong asset through multiple messengers; and newsjack real, named incidents as live proof.