"Secure connection failed?"

ScottyBWorld

I just downloaded Bitdefender Free Antivirus and VPN.

The first time I tried to log in to my bank's website, I got the message, "Secure connection failed."

Does this have to do with it being the free version?

I'm planning to upgrade to the paid version next week.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @ScottyBWorld and welcome to the Community!

Were you using a VPN connection when this happened? I'm asking because banking websites often use strict security protocols that may conflict with VPNs. I don't think all banks do this, but there are cases where, due to the over vigilance of several banks, connecting a VPN for example often triggers fraud warnings when you use it to conduct your online banking. Here you will find some information on why some financial institutions won't let you use VPN technology:

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/why-do-some-banks-not-allow-me-to-log-on-through-a-secure-vpn/

Also, if the VPN routes your connection through a server in a different country or city, your bank might flag it as suspicious and block the connection. So, in the event you are using the VPN, disconnect it and try accessing the bank's website again. If it turns out this was the reason, you can use the Split Tunneling feature to route that website outside the VPN connection, to access the Internet directly. Furthermore, you can also try to connect to a VPN server closer to your physical location, in order to minimize flags. And of course, check the bank's policies regarding VPN usage; some explicitly advise against it.

Now for the antivirus part, Bitdefender's web protection may scan HTTPS traffic, potentially interfering with the secure connection to your bank's website. The first troubleshooting step in this case would be to temporarily disable Web Protection in Bitdefender and try again. If the website loads, the issue is caused by the antivirus and you can add the bank's website to the exceptions list in this case.

I hope the information is helpful.

Regards,

Alex