Data loss can happen to anyone, whether it’s a failed hard drive, accidental deletion, or a ransomware attack. And when it does, the consequences can range from inconvenient to devastating.
A 2025 global survey by Western Digital(new window) found that while 87% of people say they back up their data, 63% have already experienced data loss. The takeaway is clear: Backing up your data is essential — and it must be done right.
In recognition of World Backup Day(new window), celebrated on March 31, we’re highlighting some real-world data loss stories that happened to individuals and organizations. We’re also showing you some tips for how to protect your backups using Proton Drive so you can avoid a similar fate.
The personal costs of losing data
Here are a few stories that show just how personal data loss can be, even when some form of backup was in place:
Lost over $500,000 in Bitcoin
A user lost access to their Bitcoin wallet(new window) holding 27 BTC after a RAID failure destroyed the encrypted hardware ID used as the access key. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a way of combining multiple hard drives for speed or backup, but not all setups protect against total failure. Recovery attempts, including generous bounties, failed. When Bitcoin later soared, they realized they had lost over $500,000 of digital assets. If there had been a separate copy of the encryption key stored safely somewhere else, like a Bitcoin wallet or encrypted cloud storage, this wouldn’t have probably happened.
Researcher’s manuscript lost on a USB stick
A researcher spent years writing a book manuscript(new window) and kept the only copy on a USB stick. When they asked IT to help retrieve it from the lab’s backup system, they realized that external drives weren’t included. The stick was lost, likely in the parking garage, and despite a building-wide search, it was never found. The data was just a few megabytes, but the impact was crushing.
Moving truck fire destroyed all backups
One individual lost years of documents and training materials when a moving truck — carrying both their computer and all physical backups — burned to the ground(new window). Despite having multiple backup formats, everything was stored together.
Lightning strike wiped out family photos
A power surge likely caused by a lightning strike wiped out someone’s computer(new window) and the backup drive connected to it, taking nearly every digital family photo they ever took. With no cloud backup in place, only a few old film prints and some recent phone photos were left.
When organizations lose data
Data loss at scale can have a bigger impact, and it’s not always just financial. Check out these stories about losing data at an organizational level:
Ransomware deleted backups, and the ransom didn’t work
In the early 2010s, an employee at a mid-sized company clicked a phishing link inside an email that triggered the CryptoLocker ransomware(new window). It encrypted over 150,000 files, including billing records and customer contracts, and deleted the backups. The company paid the ransom but never received the decryption key since the hacker was arrested the next day. Recovery took three months and cost the company over $50,000.
Toy Story 2 nearly deleted
In 1998, Pixar almost lost Toy Story 2(new window) when an animator unintentionally ran a command that deleted 90% of the film’s production files. They hadn’t made a backup in months, and years of work were nearly gone. Luckily, a technical director working from home had a personal copy — and saved the entire project.
NASA erased the original Moon landing footage
In the 1980s, NASA erased(new window) the original high-quality footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The decision made sense at the time since digital preservation wasn’t a priority, tape storage was expensive, and the real-time broadcast had been archived in lower quality. Still, it’s a sobering reminder that even priceless history can disappear if you don’t actively preserve it.
Kyoto University lost 77 TB from a backup script
In 2021, Kyoto University lost 34 million research files(new window) worth 77 terabytes after a backup script on its supercomputer system went wrong. Four research groups lost all their work, and it wasn’t due to hardware failure or ransomware — the backup system, meant to safeguard data, was ultimately the cause of loss. It’s a tough reminder that even backups need backups — especially offsite or in the cloud.
How to protect your backups
Data loss isn’t always dramatic. Often, it happens quietly, through human error, failed backups, or a misplaced drive. But regardless of the cause, prevention follows the same core principles:
Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule
The rule is as follows:
- Keep three copies of your data
- Keep these copies on two different types of storage media
- Make sure one copy is offsite
This way, if one copy gets corrupted, lost, or stolen, you still have a fallback. And by keeping one copy offsite — preferably in encrypted cloud storage — you’re protected against physical disasters like fire, theft, or power surges that could wipe out everything in one place.
With Proton Drive, you can securely back up your data in end-to-end encrypted cloud storage. Start with 5 GB free, or upgrade to our Plus plan for 200 GB of space.
Automate your backups
Relying only on manual backups is risky since they’re easy to forget, delay, or skip. Automating the process means your files are backed up regularly and consistently.
Proton Drive syncs your files to ensure you always have the latest version in the cloud. On mobile devices, you can allow automatic photo and video backups. On desktops, you can choose specific folders to sync, so any new or changed file will be backed up by default.
Protect your data with strong encryption
Your backups should stay secure and private, no matter where they are stored. End-to-end encryption means your files are encrypted before they leave your device and can only be decrypted by you. Even your cloud provider can’t see their contents. This helps protect your data from hackers, leaks, or unauthorized access.
Proton Drive uses end-to-end encryption by design, so only you can access your files — not even we can read them.
Double check your backups regularly
A file might look like it’s saved, but corrupted data, misconfigured systems, or failed syncs could make it unusable. That’s why it’s important to periodically verify that your backup actually works — not just that it exists.
The Proton Drive desktop app shows real-time sync status, so you can catch any issues early. Plus, the version history feature lets you roll back to earlier versions of your files if something goes wrong, whether it’s a bad edit or accidental overwrite. For example, if you work in Proton Docs, you can access document history and easily restore an earlier copy.
Be mindful when sharing and collaborating on data
If you’re backing up files with family members or teammates — like shared photo libraries or project folders — you might give them access to update or add content. While convenient, it increases the chance of accidental edits or deletions.
With Proton Drive, you can securely share folders with edit access via email or public links, protect these links with passwords and expiration dates, or turn them off to revoke access. For extra safety, you can keep your core backups private and create separate shared folders just for collaboration.
Keep your data safe with Proton Drive
What these data loss stories have in common is the lesson they leave behind: having good backup habits can often save the day. Proton Drive makes it easy to build those habits with end-to-end encrypted cloud storage, automatic syncing, and secure file access on all your devices.
Like all Proton apps, Drive is open source and independently audited, so anyone can review your codebase and verify our claims. Plus, we never show ads or sell the little data we do have on you.
Celebrate World Backup Day with 60% off 200 GB of encrypted cloud storage.
