In one embodiment, a centralized controller maintains a plurality of hierarchical behavioral modules of a behavioral model, and distributes initial behavioral modules to data plane entities to cause them to apply the initial behavioral modules to data plane traffic. The centralized controller may then receive data from a particular data plane entity based on its having applied the initial behavioral modules to its data plane traffic. The centralized controller then distributes subsequent behavioral modules to the particular data plane entity to cause it to apply the subsequent behavioral modules to the data plane traffic, the subsequent behavioral modules selected based on the previously received data from the particular data plane entity. The centralized controller may then iteratively receive data from the particular data plane entity and distribute subsequently selected behavioral modules until an attack determination is made on the data plane traffic of the particular data plane entity.