Bitdefender Mobile Security TrafficLight extension (iOS)
Bitdefender currently uses a VPN connection to scan network traffic for malicious or frauduleus content / connections. A really great feature, but what if you already use a VPN? That means you will lose the benefits of a real VPN and only have the protection features of Bitdefender MS.
An extension for safari could solve this problem? The only disadvantage is that it can't protect all your internet traffic anymore.
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Hello @Giryoku and welcome to the Community!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
What happens here is that Web Protection & VPN features from Bitdefender Mobile Security for iOS cannot be used at the same time, but alternatively. This means that turning on Web Protection in the app will disconnect the VPN and vice versa. Once a VPN session is ended, you can turn on Web Protection.
Web Protection filters traffic from all apps and blocks everything that poses a threat to your data. It also adds an encryption layer to prevent your data from being mishandled. It’s not just your browsing activity that gets protected. Any app on your iPhone or iPad that sends information over the Internet is prevented from misusing it. Unsafe connections are automatically blocked, and you are notified each time such an event occurs. The Web Protection technology makes sure you don’t land on a malicious website. Moreover, the anti-fraud filtering system warns you if the websites you visit are trying to scam you.
On the other hand, VPN encrypts the data that leaves your iOS device, giving you the benefit of a private network even while you’re on a public Wi-Fi from the airport, mall, café, or hotel. When connected to VPN, you can access websites that are restricted to certain countries and you hide your own IP address, offering your online search more anonymity. VPN only does so much to anonymize your online activities.
Therefore, this behavior is not a dysfunction. Web Protection and VPN are two features designed for separate purposes: the first keeps you safe while browsing while the latter aims to provide internet anonymity.
There are no future plans of development in this area. Due to the nature of the two, there is no workaround to make them work at the same time.
Best regards.
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Hello @Alexandru_BD , thank you for your answer.
What you say, makes sense. But I was wondering if it isn't even an option to implement a web protection feature in the VPN service? Probably not so easy, but NordVPN for example has it, with its Threat Protection feature.
Just trying to make Bitdefender even better!
Best regards.
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Hi @Giryoku and thank you very much for your input on this. I really appreciate your contribution.
In terms of development, I can think of two reasons behind the inability of the two features to work together:
The first one has to do with the limitation of the iOS platform, where Apple holds some functions for themselves. MacOS and iOS are a much more strict environment than Windows, for example, a situation that has two effects: one is that they do not require the same amount of extensive anti-malware modules as access is much more restricted to any 3rd party (not only including possible malicious apps / files, but the same restrictions apply to 3rd party software manufactures such as ourselves).
The second effect is that mirroring or developing the same in-depth technologies available elsewhere is not possible due to the limited access provided to developers.
Furthermore, I think the second reason has to do with the VPN usage concept. As the VPN is one of the most effective ways to stay anonymous while connected to the Internet, thanks to its ability to encrypt your traffic and redirect it through secure, private servers, it's highly recommended to be used when connecting to public WI-FI, but it can also help you enhance your online shopping experience, stream media on various platforms, access geo-blocked content, and bypass ISP throttling.
With this in mind, although it can be left enabled all the time, there are specific scenarios where it comes in handy and should be used. Because a VPN may slow down your connection. This can happen because VPNs redirect your traffic through remote servers, which can cause delays - the farther the servers are, the longer the delay. Using stronger encryption will trigger a slower response from the network. The other drawback of keeping your VPN on all the time is that it can drain your device’s battery faster.
Thus, the concept is that Web Protection should stay enabled all the time, whereas the VPN should be used when needed for specific activities, where your online privacy is the main concern.
Best regards
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