Microsoft researchers discovered that tools they developed to detect spammers efforts to avoid anti-spam filters were also great at spotting mutations in the HIV virus. Microsoft researchers were looking for ways to sort through data compiled by a consortium of hospitals and universities. The tool they used to do so, a computational biology tool called PhyloD, does efficient data mining that can help identify virus patterns that are fruitful targets for future analysis. Researchers were able to process a year s worth of data in a matter of days, resulting in the discovery of six times as many possible attack points.
Source: https://threatpost.com/microsoft-research-spammers-act-just-hiv-virus-avoiding-filters-120211/75953/