The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has remotely bricked approximately 4,000 SamKnows SK-WB8 routers, deployed since 2020 to monitor broadband speeds under the Measuring Broadband Australia (MBA) program. The devices reached their end-of-life on June 30, 2026, and the regulator now urges volunteers to dispose of them through e-waste recycling. However, security experts warn that discarding the routers without a factory reset could expose personal data: administrator passwords, ISP details, and network settings may fall into the wrong hands.
Bricked routers remain functional with alternative firmware
Despite the ACCC's remote disablement, the SamKnows SK-WB8 units still power on and can be repurposed by flashing custom firmware such as OpenWRT. The commission claims it has deleted all measurement and registration data, but it has ignored the option to reuse the hardware, instead pushing for disposal. A guide on the OpenWRT website details how to restore full functionality, making the destruction of these routers a questionable decision both economically and environmentally.
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Improper disposal heightens data breach risks
According to experts quoted by TechRadar, the discarded routers pose a tangible security threat: if not reset to factory settings, sensitive information can be retrieved by malicious actors. The ACCC provided a list of e-waste recycling services but did not address the reflash possibility, drawing criticism. A similar issue occurred with outdated UEFI firmware: Microsoft failed to revoke 13-year-old UEFI shims, exposing millions of PCs to rootkits, illustrating how neglected software maintenance can create security vulnerabilities.
Environmental impact of mass router disposal
With roughly 4,000 routers headed for landfill, Australia risks a sharp increase in electronic waste. Global e-waste grows by 3-5% annually, according to UN data, and perfectly functional devices like these exacerbate the problem. The choice to brick rather than enable reuse contradicts circular economy principles promoted by many nations. For more on e-waste, see the Wikipedia page on electronic waste.
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How to protect your data before disposal
If you own a SamKnows SK-WB8 router, the ACCC recommends unplugging it and disposing of it responsibly. But before discarding, always perform a factory reset to erase personal data. Alternatively, technically inclined users can install OpenWRT to extend the device's life and avoid waste. This incident underscores the need for security- and environment-conscious policies in managing network equipment.
