How long MBI Clone receives security fixes, how it is updated, who to report a vulnerability to, how to use it safely and what it keeps on a computer.
Support period
MB Informatique provides security updates for each major version of MBI Clone, identified by the first number of its version number, for at least five years after the release of its first version. Version 4: until October 2031. During the subscription, these updates are included in the price. They are reserved for current licences: without a subscription, MBI Clone no longer works.
Updates
- MBI Clone checks for a new version every time it starts. Nothing is installed without the technician’s consent: the banner on the home screen offers “Install”.
- Each update is downloaded over HTTPS, checked against its fingerprint and then its signature in the name of MB INFORMATIQUE, and never brings back an older version.
- “Important update” indicates a version that fixes a security vulnerability or a serious defect: install it without delay. Fixed vulnerabilities are described on the Security advisories page.
- The .NET runtime is embedded in MBI Clone: Windows Update does not update it; only an MBI Clone update does.
Reporting a security vulnerability
By email to
Intended use
MBI Clone is a workshop tool for professional technicians, for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 (ARM64 PCs are not supported). It runs as administrator: it reads and writes whole disks, creates Windows accounts and opens the firewall for the duration of a transfer between two PCs, over an encrypted link checked by a security code shown on both screens.
Precautions
- Only install MBI Clone from this website or through its built-in update, and check that the publisher shown by Windows is “MB INFORMATIQUE”.
- Carry out transfers on the workshop network or over a direct cable, not on public Wi-Fi, and always compare the security code on both PCs.
- A badly damaged disk, or one crafted to trap recovery tools, can make an analysis very long or cause it to fail. Windows can also write to a disk as soon as it is connected: for a valuable disk, start with the health check and the rescue image.
- A rescue image saved to a network share contains all the customer’s data: keep that share for the workshop only, protected by a password.
- The licence is not a protection for the computer: an administrator of the computer can bypass its check locally. This is a known limitation, with no consequence for data.
What the software keeps on a computer
Its settings, licence and logs are in C:\ProgramData\MB Informatique\MBI Clone; the intake sheets, certificates and reports in Documents\MBI Clone. The logs keep the names of the accounts and the paths of the files processed. Uninstalling removes the program and the licence from the computer, but keeps the logs and documents. To leave nothing on a customer’s PC: deactivate the licence, choose “Clear history…” in the settings, uninstall, then delete these two folders after keeping what must be kept.
Manufacturer and documentation
MB INFORMATIQUE, 120 rue de l’Île Napoléon, 68170 Rixheim, France —