diff --git a/ts/components/Preferences.stories.tsx b/ts/components/Preferences.stories.tsx
index b21f27c22a11..c737e40bf65f 100644
--- a/ts/components/Preferences.stories.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/Preferences.stories.tsx
@@ -192,17 +192,19 @@ export default {
     ),
     validateBackup: async () => {
       return {
-        totalBytes: 100,
-        stats: {
-          adHocCalls: 1,
-          callLinks: 2,
-          conversations: 3,
-          chats: 4,
-          distributionLists: 5,
-          messages: 6,
-          skippedMessages: 7,
-          stickerPacks: 8,
-          fixedDirectMessages: 9,
+        result: {
+          totalBytes: 100,
+          stats: {
+            adHocCalls: 1,
+            callLinks: 2,
+            conversations: 3,
+            chats: 4,
+            distributionLists: 5,
+            messages: 6,
+            skippedMessages: 7,
+            stickerPacks: 8,
+            fixedDirectMessages: 9,
+          },
         },
       };
     },
diff --git a/ts/components/Preferences.tsx b/ts/components/Preferences.tsx
index 634776474cbf..f05cb07adc3e 100644
--- a/ts/components/Preferences.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/Preferences.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import classNames from 'classnames';
 import * as LocaleMatcher from '@formatjs/intl-localematcher';
 
 import type { MediaDeviceSettings } from '../types/Calling';
-import type { ExportResultType as BackupExportResultType } from '../services/backups';
+import type { ValidationResultType as BackupValidationResultType } from '../services/backups';
 import type {
   AutoDownloadAttachmentType,
   NotificationSettingType,
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ type PropsFunctionType = {
       value: CustomColorType;
     }
   ) => unknown;
-  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupExportResultType>;
+  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupValidationResultType>;
 
   // Change handlers
   onAudioNotificationsChange: CheckboxChangeHandlerType;
diff --git a/ts/components/PreferencesInternal.tsx b/ts/components/PreferencesInternal.tsx
index 076ff3bfee92..8a72e10aa090 100644
--- a/ts/components/PreferencesInternal.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/PreferencesInternal.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import React, { useState, useCallback } from 'react';
 import type { LocalizerType } from '../types/I18N';
 import { toLogFormat } from '../types/errors';
 import { formatFileSize } from '../util/formatFileSize';
-import type { ExportResultType as BackupExportResultType } from '../services/backups';
+import type { ValidationResultType as BackupValidationResultType } from '../services/backups';
 import { SettingsRow, SettingsControl } from './PreferencesUtil';
 import { Button, ButtonVariant } from './Button';
 import { Spinner } from './Spinner';
@@ -15,26 +15,20 @@ export function PreferencesInternal({
   validateBackup: doValidateBackup,
 }: {
   i18n: LocalizerType;
-  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupExportResultType>;
+  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupValidationResultType>;
 }): JSX.Element {
   const [isValidationPending, setIsValidationPending] = useState(false);
   const [validationResult, setValidationResult] = useState<
-    | {
-        result: BackupExportResultType;
-      }
-    | {
-        error: Error;
-      }
-    | undefined
+    BackupValidationResultType | undefined
   >();
 
   const validateBackup = useCallback(async () => {
     setIsValidationPending(true);
     setValidationResult(undefined);
     try {
-      setValidationResult({ result: await doValidateBackup() });
+      setValidationResult(await doValidateBackup());
     } catch (error) {
-      setValidationResult({ error });
+      setValidationResult({ error: toLogFormat(error) });
     } finally {
       setIsValidationPending(false);
     }
@@ -61,7 +55,7 @@ export function PreferencesInternal({
       validationElem = (
         <div className="Preferences--internal--validate-backup--error">
           <pre>
-            <code>{toLogFormat(error)}</code>
+            <code>{error}</code>
           </pre>
         </div>
       );
diff --git a/ts/services/backups/index.ts b/ts/services/backups/index.ts
index 009ed1ec0b2e..11ed7aac2f94 100644
--- a/ts/services/backups/index.ts
+++ b/ts/services/backups/index.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ import { BackupImportStream } from './import';
 import { getKeyMaterial } from './crypto';
 import { BackupCredentials } from './credentials';
 import { BackupAPI } from './api';
-import { validateBackup } from './validator';
+import { validateBackup, ValidationType } from './validator';
 import { BackupType } from './types';
 import {
   BackupInstallerError,
@@ -103,6 +103,15 @@ export type ExportResultType = Readonly<{
   stats: Readonly<StatsType>;
 }>;
 
+export type ValidationResultType = Readonly<
+  | {
+      result: ExportResultType;
+    }
+  | {
+      error: string;
+    }
+>;
+
 export class BackupsService {
   #isStarted = false;
   #isRunning: 'import' | 'export' | false = false;
@@ -322,26 +331,40 @@ export class BackupsService {
     );
 
     if (backupType === BackupType.Ciphertext) {
-      await validateBackup(() => new FileStream(path), totalBytes);
+      await validateBackup(
+        () => new FileStream(path),
+        totalBytes,
+        isTestOrMockEnvironment()
+          ? ValidationType.Internal
+          : ValidationType.Export
+      );
     }
 
     return totalBytes;
   }
 
   // Test harness
-  public async validate(
+  public async _internalValidate(
     backupLevel: BackupLevel = BackupLevel.Free,
     backupType = BackupType.Ciphertext
-  ): Promise<ExportResultType> {
+  ): Promise<ValidationResultType> {
     const { data, ...result } = await this.exportBackupData(
       backupLevel,
       backupType
     );
     const buffer = Buffer.from(data);
 
-    await validateBackup(() => new MemoryStream(buffer), buffer.byteLength);
+    try {
+      await validateBackup(
+        () => new MemoryStream(buffer),
+        buffer.byteLength,
+        ValidationType.Internal
+      );
 
-    return result;
+      return { result };
+    } catch (error) {
+      return { error: Errors.toLogFormat(error) };
+    }
   }
 
   // Test harness
diff --git a/ts/services/backups/util/filePointers.ts b/ts/services/backups/util/filePointers.ts
index 8375ab9b5dc5..2e7104ba319a 100644
--- a/ts/services/backups/util/filePointers.ts
+++ b/ts/services/backups/util/filePointers.ts
@@ -180,9 +180,11 @@ export async function getFilePointerForAttachment({
 }> {
   const filePointerRootProps = new Backups.FilePointer({
     contentType: attachment.contentType,
-    incrementalMac: attachment.incrementalMac
-      ? Bytes.fromBase64(attachment.incrementalMac)
-      : undefined,
+    // Resilience to invalid data in the database from internal testing
+    incrementalMac:
+      typeof attachment.incrementalMac === 'string'
+        ? Bytes.fromBase64(attachment.incrementalMac)
+        : undefined,
     incrementalMacChunkSize: dropZero(attachment.chunkSize),
     fileName: attachment.fileName,
     width: attachment.width,
diff --git a/ts/services/backups/validator.ts b/ts/services/backups/validator.ts
index 599a8677336f..73cb24fb1ea3 100644
--- a/ts/services/backups/validator.ts
+++ b/ts/services/backups/validator.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,17 @@ import type { InputStream } from '@signalapp/libsignal-client/dist/io';
 
 import { strictAssert } from '../../util/assert';
 import { toAciObject } from '../../util/ServiceId';
-import { isTestOrMockEnvironment } from '../../environment';
+import { missingCaseError } from '../../util/missingCaseError';
+
+export enum ValidationType {
+  Export = 'Export',
+  Internal = 'Internal',
+}
 
 export async function validateBackup(
   inputFactory: () => InputStream,
-  fileSize: number
+  fileSize: number,
+  type: ValidationType
 ): Promise<void> {
   const accountEntropy = window.storage.get('accountEntropyPool');
   strictAssert(accountEntropy, 'Account Entropy Pool not available');
@@ -28,12 +34,14 @@ export async function validateBackup(
     BigInt(fileSize)
   );
 
-  if (isTestOrMockEnvironment()) {
+  if (type === ValidationType.Internal) {
     strictAssert(
       outcome.ok,
       `Backup validation failed: ${outcome.errorMessage}`
     );
-  } else {
+  } else if (type === ValidationType.Export) {
     strictAssert(outcome.ok, 'Backup validation failed');
+  } else {
+    throw missingCaseError(type);
   }
 }
diff --git a/ts/util/createIPCEvents.ts b/ts/util/createIPCEvents.ts
index 5057800f8770..44df51dabf58 100644
--- a/ts/util/createIPCEvents.ts
+++ b/ts/util/createIPCEvents.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { resolveUsernameByLinkBase64 } from '../services/username';
 import { writeProfile } from '../services/writeProfile';
 import {
   backupsService,
-  type ExportResultType as BackupExportResultType,
+  type ValidationResultType as BackupValidationResultType,
 } from '../services/backups';
 import { isInCall } from '../state/selectors/calling';
 import { getConversationsWithCustomColorSelector } from '../state/selectors/conversations';
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export type IPCEventsCallbacksType = {
   unknownSignalLink: () => void;
   getCustomColors: () => Record<string, CustomColorType>;
   syncRequest: () => Promise<void>;
-  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupExportResultType>;
+  validateBackup: () => Promise<BackupValidationResultType>;
   setGlobalDefaultConversationColor: (
     color: ConversationColorType,
     customColor?: { id: string; value: CustomColorType }
@@ -551,7 +551,8 @@ export function createIPCEvents(
       await sendSyncRequests();
       return contactSyncComplete;
     },
-    validateBackup: () => backupsService.validate(),
+    // Only for internal use
+    validateBackup: () => backupsService._internalValidate(),
     getLastSyncTime: () => window.storage.get('synced_at'),
     setLastSyncTime: value => window.storage.put('synced_at', value),
     getUniversalExpireTimer: () => universalExpireTimer.get(),