LIHKG
| Primary URL | Location | Industry | lihkg[.]com |
Country
Hong Kong
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Technology
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Profile
LIHKG is an online forum headquartered in Hong Kong that provides a platform for users to post messages and engage in discussions on a variety of topics. The service operates as a web‑based community where individuals can create threads, reply to existing posts, and share information. Its primary market consists of Hong Kong residents who use the site for local news, cultural exchange, and social interaction.
During the summer of 2019, LIHKG became a critical communication hub for organizers of the anti‑extradition bill protests. Protest participants relied on the forum to coordinate actions, disseminate updates, and discuss strategies in real time. This role heightened the platform’s visibility and importance within the broader protest movement.
On 31 August 2019, LIHKG was hit by a massive distributed denial‑of‑service attack that leveraged the Great Cannon tool. The attack intercepted ordinary internet traffic and injected malicious JavaScript code, generating a flood of requests aimed at the forum’s servers. At its peak, the assault delivered over 1.5 billion requests per hour, overwhelming the platform and disrupting its normal operation.
Technical analysts noted that the infrastructure and code signatures of this attack resembled those seen in earlier Great Cannon campaigns. The similarities indicated that the same or a closely related toolset had been repurposed for this incident. The resurgence of the Great Cannon demonstrated that the capability to weaponize traffic for large‑scale disruption remained active.
The incident underscored the vulnerability of online platforms that serve as focal points for political mobilization. It also highlighted how state‑linked actors can repurpose network‑level tools to target specific websites perceived as oppositional. As a result, LIHKG’s experience contributed to broader discussions about digital security and the protection of online communication channels in Hong Kong.
The attack was reported by several technology news outlets, including ZDNet, which highlighted the scale and origin of the traffic. Coverage emphasized the use of the Great Cannon and the unprecedented request volume. These reports contributed to public awareness of the incident’s technical nature.