Manning Publications Co. Listed by fog Ransomware Group: Ransomware Claim — What’s Alleged & What To Do

Ransomware groups continue to target publishers and technology firms by claiming to steal internal repositories and operational files, then listing victims on leak sites to apply pressure. In this environment, even partial disclosures can leave customers, authors and staff unsure what personal or business data may have been taken.

On 5 March 2025, Manning Publications Co. was listed by the ransomware group known as fog. Public reporting states that internal files were exfiltrated in a ransomware attack, with a summary describing the material as an extract from “The 19 biggest gitlabs.” The number of people affected remains unknown, and further technical details have not been released.

What happened

According to the available record, Manning Publications Co. was named on fog’s leak site on 5 March 2025. The listing asserts that internal files were taken during a ransomware attack. The only descriptive phrase supplied is “Extract from The 19 biggest gitlabs.” No confirmed date of initial intrusion, no volume of data, no ransom demand amount, and no independent verification of the claim have been made public. The number of individuals whose information may be involved is listed as unknown. Beyond the group’s own assertion that files were exfiltrated, the method of access, duration of presence inside the network, and any subsequent encryption or recovery steps remain undisclosed.

Who is fog?

fog is a ransomware operation that has appeared in public threat reporting as a group that steals data before encrypting systems and then posts victim names on a dedicated leak site. Like many contemporary ransomware crews, it typically claims to have exfiltrated internal documents, source-code repositories or business files and threatens to publish them if payment is not made. Public analyses of earlier campaigns attribute to fog the use of double-extortion tactics—combining encryption with data theft—and the selective targeting of organisations that hold proprietary technical material. The group’s listing of Manning Publications Co. is therefore a claim made by the actors themselves; it has not been independently confirmed in the information provided. No statements attributed to fog beyond the leak-site entry itself are part of the public record for this incident.

Who is Manning Publications Co.?

Manning Publications Co. is a well-known independent publisher specialising in technical books and digital content for software developers, data scientists and IT professionals. Its catalogue covers programming languages, cloud architecture, machine learning and related engineering topics. Organisations of this type routinely maintain author manuscripts, editorial correspondence, customer account records, subscription databases, internal project repositories and source-code samples used for book examples. Because the company sits at the intersection of publishing and technology, a breach that involves internal files can affect both commercial operations and the privacy of authors, staff and readers who have shared personal or professional details. The listing therefore carries consequences beyond a single corporate network: it raises questions about the security of unpublished technical material and any personal data stored alongside it.

What data was at risk

The public facts state only that “internal files” were exfiltrated and characterise them as an extract from “The 19 biggest gitlabs.” No further inventory—such as customer lists, payment-card data, employee records or specific source-code repositories—has been disclosed. Organisations in the technical-publishing sector typically hold author contracts, manuscript drafts, Git-based example code, marketing databases and employee information. Whether any of those categories were among the files claimed by fog is unconfirmed. Readers should treat the precise contents as unknown until Manning Publications Co. or an independent investigation provides additional detail.

Why it matters

When internal files leave an organisation under ransomware conditions, the immediate risks include exposure of unpublished intellectual property, potential misuse of any credentials or configuration data contained in repositories, and secondary social-engineering attacks that leverage the stolen material. For individuals, the practical concerns are identity fraud, targeted phishing that references real project names or personal details, and the long-term presence of their information in criminal marketplaces. For the publisher, the incident can disrupt editorial workflows, damage trust with authors who supply unpublished work, and create regulatory or contractual obligations to notify affected parties once the scope is clarified. Because the number of people affected is still listed as unknown, the full human impact cannot yet be measured; that uncertainty itself is a source of concern for anyone who has interacted with the company.

Were you affected?

If you are an author, customer, employee or partner of Manning Publications Co., monitor official statements from the company for any confirmation of what was taken and whether notification is required. Change passwords on accounts that may have been linked to the publisher, enable multi-factor authentication where available, and watch for unexpected emails or messages that reference internal projects. You can also run a free exposure scan of your email address against known breach data sets to see whether your information has already appeared in public or underground collections. Until more details are released, treat any claim of compromise as provisional and focus on basic account hygiene rather than speculation.

AICompiled with AI assistance from public sources and published under our editorial standards.