One of the main advantages of the Qubes backup system is that the backups it creates are not only encrypted but authenticated (and thereby also integrity-protected). Most other backup methods, including DIY procedures, do not feature this property or do not implement it correctly. (For example, if you’re not sure whether you should encrypt-then-MAC or MAC-then-encrypt, or if you don’t see the difference, then you should not be taking a DIY approach to this if security matters.) Authenticated backups protect against attacks in which an adversary, unbeknownst to you, maliciously modifies or replaces your backup and, upon restoring from that backup, you compromise your system.