PPG is working to obtain EPA approval for a paint additive developed by Corning Inc. that has shown to be 99.9 percent effective against the virus that causes COVID-19.
The additive, Guardiant, emerged from Corning’s work to develop engineered glass-ceramic technology. Corning knows a thing or two about engineered glass. The company makes the glass that goes into the Apple iPhone, including the new iPhone 12, which features Corning’s “ceramic shield technology.”
PPG and Corning are seeking to register a paint product using Guardiant with the EPA.
Corning said the additive stood up to tests that simulated the impact of six years of scrubbing on a surface treated with the paint additive.
Guardiant works by incorporating copper, which exhibits antimicrobial properties when applied to surfaces. It says copper performed better than other antimicrobial coatings such as zinc and silver when a tested surface is dry.
“We know that now more than ever, our customers are seeking multiple layers of protection as they navigate the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Michael McGarry, PPG chairman and CEO. “Following registration with the EPA, we look forward to launching a paint product in the coming months that contains Corning Guardiant, providing customers with an additional safeguard from the coronavirus in areas that pose a higher health risk.”
You can read more about Corning’s technology here.
GrayMatter CEO Jim Gillespie explores the world of deception technology for cybersecurity in a new article available through IndustryWeek and GrayMatter’s Industrial Cybersecurity resources page.
You can think bout deception technology as a critical top layer of cybersecurity protection that frustrates what’s called the reconnaissance phase of a cyber attack when a bot or a live attacker is simply trying to gain some information about your network that they can use to potentially exploit and penetrate it.
Here’s an excerpt from Jim’s article:
“An onion is the go-to analogy when describing a Defense in Depth approach to industrial cybersecurity.
Cut through one defense, and there’s another layer of protection. It’s no doubt a strong defensive posture, but it also gives ground to bad actors willing to passively observe your network before attempting to penetrate it.Why not build a cybersecurity strategy that starts with some subterfuge and adds some offense to those many defensive layers?”
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” — Sun Tzu, Art of War
We’ve found there are three major ways that industrial companies are deploying deception technology to prevent or avert cybersecurity threats.
1. Decoys
Create a device that looks attractive to external or internal threats, but is actually a decoy
2. Geofencing
Block network traffic quickly from countries that are common sources of cyber attacks
3. Forensic Response
If an attack is attaching to a decoy, see how it behaves in the network and use that information to remediate the attack vector
There are still at least two more chances to catch GrayMatter’s emPOWERUP.virtual education series before the end of 2020.
Nov. 17 and Dec. 10 are the last two opportunities of the year. We have a great line-up of experts from GrayMatter and GE Digital talking about deception tech, expanding remote work capabilities, data connectivity, iFIX updates and lean manufacturing.
You can register your team to attend here, for free.
For water and wastewater utilities, we have an extra opportunity.
The American Water Works Association is hosting GrayMatter and our partner City of Akron Water Supply Bureau for a special, free webinar on Dec. 15, “How Akron Water Built One KPI to Rule Them All.”
You can find out more and register for that on AWWA’s website.
