Getting hacked on LinkedIn: Brand lessons from McAfee

Stephen Whiteside

McAfee, the cybersecurity company, faced a major threat to its brand reputation having been hacked on LinkedIn, the social network.

Having a branded LinkedIn page compromised by online hackers would damage the reputation of any brand – and especially that of McAfee, a provider of cybersecurity software and services.

Allison Cerra, CMO, McAfee

Allison Cerra, McAfee’s CMO, had to face down this very situation on Easter Sunday 2017. Moreover, the unwelcome incident happened during her first month on the job as the Santa Clara, California-based enterprise’s marketing lead.

“A hacker had taken the opportunity to take control of our page and replace our company description in our company postings with the most vile, derogatory, racist, sexist, homophobic, and every other...

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