PhD/doctorate consortium: Three-essay dissertation on Edgeware security risk management: Cyber-attacks for vulnerability exploitations against the GridStreamX™ Workplace-as-a-Service (WPaaS) Edgeware application

This dissertation research focuses on the identification of cyber-attacks and security vulnerabilities for a secure cloud-to-Edgeware services application called the GridStreamX™ Workplace-as-a-Service (WPaaS) Edgeware application. The GridStreamX™ WPaaS Edgeware application is an enterprise social network and real time collaboration application, which can be utilized as a centralized user interface for both intra-organizational communication or an interface for an organization's external customers. Through the use of the combination of social networking type communications integrated with file sharing, video conferencing, calendar functions, and mobile device connectivity, this Edgeware application provides the next generation workplace environment for communications and can be used for business continuity during an enterprise network catastrophe and/or failure. The GridStreamX WPaaS Edgeware application is accessible on a virtualized cloud-based, wireless grid platform or a mobile computing environment to offer user ubiquitous computational and communications services without regards to location, and frequently and/or regards to environment or conditions. Since communication networks and devices are subject to becoming the target of exploitation by hackers (e.g. individuals who attempt to gain unauthorized access to computer systems), these individuals are gaining ever-increasing knowledge of the often widely-reported exploitable vulnerabilities in innovative technologies; and thus are able to craft increasingly effective computer network attacks against such technologies. Therefore, this dissertation utilizes three essays to contribute to the foundational understanding of the cyber-attacks, vulnerabilities and risk towards Edgeware technology and potentially implementing the GridStreamX™ WPaaS Edgeware application in an organizational environment. The findings from these essays will provide a greater understanding of the security implications of Edgeware technology from cyber-attacks and how proper countermeasures can be use to protect the GridStreamX™ WPaaS Edgeware application from unauthorized modification or disclosure. This research will also inform scholars and practitioners, who research information architectures, on defining security standards, protocols and policies for these new types of integrated and distributed Edgeware application architectures.