Detecting malicious users in dynamic spectrum access scenarios
is a crucial problem that requires an intrusion detection
system (IDS) that scans spectrum for malicious activities. In
this paper we design a spectrum scanning protocol that incorporates knowledge about the scanning effectiveness across
different bands, which can increase scanning efficiency. The
adversary, however, can also exploit such knowledge to its advantage. To understand the interplay underlying this problem,
we formulate a Bayesian model, where the IDS faces a
scanning allocation dilemma: if the intruder has no knowledge,
then all the bands are under equal threat, while if the
intruder has complete knowledge, then less-protected bands
are more likely to be threatened. We solve this dilemma and
show the optimal IDS strategy switches between the optimal
response to these threats. Finally, we show that the strategy
might be sensitive to prior knowledge, which can be corrected
by adapted learning.