Australian Competition and Consumer Commission bricks thousands of routers

Based on information from Tech Radar, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has remotely disabled approximately 4,000 routers that were distributed across Australia as part of the Measuring Broadband Australia program. These SamKnows SK-WB8 routers, initially deployed in 2020 to gather data on broadband speeds, reached the end of their intended lifespan on June 30, leading to their deactivation.

The ACCC's decision to brick these routers raised concerns about increased e-waste, as many Australians are expected to dispose of the devices. A significant security risk arises if these routers are not factory reset before disposal, as they could potentially retain sensitive information like administrator passwords and network settings. Despite being rendered inoperable for standard internet access, the routers can still power on and are capable of being flashed with alternative firmware, such as OpenWRT. This suggests that the destruction of the routers may be unnecessary.

The ACCC is encouraging program volunteers to use free e-waste recycling services for disposal, but emphasizes the importance of a factory reset to prevent potential digital security breaches.

Source: Tech Radar