Network Threat Event Detection: Experimental & Evaluation Strategies

Published

November 13, 2025

Author(s)

Jeanne Quimby, Michael Frey, Anne Marie Richards, Wilberto Garcia, Jason Martinez, M. Dodge Mumford

Abstract

A novel hybrid network combines quantum communications with classical, non-quantum, networks to strengthen the security of modern networks. Event detection using quantum states as sensors offers a promising method for identifying malicious activities of a deployed, dynamic, multi-node network, distinguishing irregular physical layer behavior from benign network changes. These quantum-augmented detectors are sensitive to network-based threat events like unwanted listeners, route injection, and other malicious actions commonly caused by adversaries. However, environmental factors - network congestion, interference, and signal fluctuations - can impact detection accuracy. These necessitates the use of experimental and evaluation strategies to measure the detector's performance and protocols when they are operating within real-world networks. Experimental and evaluation strategies are crucial for assessing and advancing these detection methods while maintaining flexibility within the detection methodology. Well-designed experiments offer valuable insights into the detector performance and response time, which are essential for estimating error rates associated with false alarms, missed detections, and misclassifications (e.g., threat event misclassification) across various types of threat events. The goal of the strategies is to achieve sufficiently low uncertainty in these error rate estimates, ensuring the detector operates reliably under different network conditions. By incorporating a variety of events, these strategies contribute to enhancing detector performance, resulting in robust and adaptive solutions for safeguarding modern communication network infrastructures.

Citation

Technical Note (NIST TN) - 2340

Report Number

2340

NIST Pub Series

Technical Note (NIST TN)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2340

Local Download

Keywords

Detector accuracy, detector error, error rates, experiment and evaluation strategy, event detection, experiment design, network protocols, network security, network threat events, quantum-augmented detectors.

Citation

Quimby, J. , Frey, M. , Richards, A. , Garcia, W. , Martinez, J. and Mumford, M. (2025), Network Threat Event Detection: Experimental & Evaluation Strategies, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2340, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959904 (Accessed April 15, 2026)