Nearly two thirds of all end users in the UAE surveyed by Kaspersky Lab had permanently lost data due to malware attacks.

According to a recent survey conducted by B2B International and the security vendor, 60% of UAE respondents had lost at least some of their data due to malware attack, while only 40% had been able to recover all of their data.

The vendor is warning of the risks of malware, particularly ransomware, which encrypts user data, sometimes including the master boot record, which can then only be unlocked by paying the hackers a fee. Failing to unlock the data can mean the loss of everything stored on the PC.

The survey found that one attack in five successfully steals or corrupts confidential data. For 21% of victims in the UAE, that data was irretrievably lost; 39% could only restore part of their lost information. And ultimately it's the data that matters to us: the survey showed that 55% of users in the UAE value their information more highly than the computer which stores it. Users are willing to pay for data recovery, with one in ten hiring outside experts to try to claw back the missing bytes.

On average, the loss of media collection following a malicious attack or device failure will cost the user $418.

Kaspersky recommends regular backups and use of security software to mitigate the risks of permanent data loss.