A failure to communicate: Security vulnerabilities in the GridStreamX Edgeware application

Any communications network is subject to becoming the target of exploitation by criminal hackers looking to gain unauthorized access to an information system. As a computer information infrastructure, the wireless grid Edgeware technology model aims at aggregating ensembles of shared, heterogeneous and distributed wireless resources to provide transparent services of various applications, systems and devices. Currently, there is no research exploring the exploitation of technical vulnerabilities from a hacker's attack against a wireless grid Edgeware application. Using a quantitative research method from the theoretical perspective of an anatomy of a network attack, the central premise of this article is to compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of a wireless grid called the GridStreamX Edgeware application for vulnerability exploitation through a laboratory experiment within the Syracuse University Wireless Grid Innovation Testbed (WiGiT). The GridStreamX Edgeware application is cloud to ‘worst case scenario’ emergency response wireless Grid resource, which can be utilized as a data communication vehicle during an enterprise network catastrophe and/or failure. This research makes a meaningful theoretical and managerial contribution because it represents the first empirical examination of researching the technical requirements of the open specifications for wireless grid Edgeware technology.