Do I need to use both VPN and Web Protection at the same time? and if so, Why?
Hi @DaCheesehead
Taken from this post by Alexandru.
Web Protection automatically blocks malicious websites. When a URL points to a known phishing or fraudulent website, or to malicious content such as spyware or viruses, the webpage is blocked, and an alert is shown. The same thing happens when installed apps try to access malicious domains. With Web Protection, you are protected from accessing dangerous, phishing, and fraudulent pages.
On the other hand, VPN encrypts the data that leaves your 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. It won’t protect you online.
Web Protection and VPN are two features designed for separate purposes:Â the first keeps you safe while browsing while the latter aims to provide internet anonymity.
I hope this helps to sort it out.
Scott
I opened a support case about getting a product enhancement so that you can have the functionality of both the VPN and Web Protection simlutaneously. I'm baffled by the logic that the end user has to choose between the two.
I think this thread covers the question I need to ask, but don’t t understand the apparent contradiction.
If I turn my VPN on it turns web protect off and it has to be enabled again when I turn the VPN off.
The answer above seems to suggest that both are important to run when on the web. Is there a way of doing so, or can you only have one of them turned on at anytime?
Thanks.
Hello @MrP and welcome to the Community!
By design, Web protection and VPN cannot be used at the same time and the product does not have a feature that allows them to function simultaneously. The two features are designed for separate purposes and can be enabled according to the usage:Â the first keeps you safe while browsing while the latter aims to provide internet anonymity.
Regards
So, if I am in Starbucks which should I have turned on?? Seems like both should run at the same time….
If the answer is VPN then I don’t need Web Protection.
Hi @SRJ,
It depends on the activity. If you wish to browse anonymously or encrypt your data, VPN is recommended. If you are browsing websites and you have doubts about their security, Web protection should be enabled. VPN is strongly recommended if you are connecting to public networks, such as the ones in coffee shops.
This is a reason to look for some other web protection. On other platforms, you can have both. I can’t have both ExpressVPN on my iPad and web protection. However, is this a problem with iOS not BitDefender? In settings, there is only a tab for VPN. There is no separate tab for internet security.
It's an iOS limitation, as far as I'm aware. Because both VPN and Web Protection use the VPN permissions from the device (Settings -> General -> VPN & Device Management) and this cannot be used by two VPN-based features at the same time.
it is absolutely non sensical why VPN and web protection cannot be used simultaneously!! Poor design. Also so many web sites detect bitfinder VON and block access to website. This is also bad design by repeatedly presenting websites with same IP instead of randomly generated fake IP addresses for each session or person-session. Design is weak …Not thinking it through!
Why Bitdefender VON randomly shut off? Sometimes Bitdefender Wireguard Protection is removed from iOS VPN list? It takes a password or Face ID to add it back but it can be removed without any such validation. Why?
Hi @Dan Smith,
On iOS, the Web Protection feature uses a VPN profile to scan traffic actively and block malicious content in real-time. iOS restricts the use of multiple VPN apps simultaneously due to limitations in its network configuration, allowing only one VPN tunnel at a time. Consequently, Web Protection and VPN cannot work at the same time. Enabling Web Protection while the VPN is active will result in disconnection of the existing VPN session and vice versa.
While it might seem inconvenient that Bitdefender Mobile Security’s Web Protection and VPN cannot operate concurrently on iOS devices, this behavior is by design. The two features are engineered for different purposes – Web Protection prioritizes secure browsing by blocking harmful content, while VPN offers privacy and anonymity online. Mobile Security on iOS has a setting that can notify you that Web Protection can be enabled after finishing a VPN session.
Regarding your VPN randomly shutting off, and the Wireguard protocol behavior in this case, I would recommend to contact Bitdefender Support for further investigation, as this doesn't sound right. Should you require their assistance, you can use the link below to choose between the available contact channels, chat, phone and contact form/email:
https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/
State your contact reason / choose request category, then choose from the available contact channels, chat, phone and email/ticket. Chat would be the fastest way to reach them.
The 'Web Protection vs. VPN' topic has been debated on numerous occasions on this forum and it has been concluded that their separate functionality cannot be changed, and this doesn't happen because of 'poor design' as you stated, but it has to do with certain limitations of the operating system and specific areas where the developers of a third party application do not have access to change something in this regard.
Thank you for your understanding.
Regards,
Alex
I'm puzzled as well….pretty sure that I could run web protection on my iphone before the last update while my VPN was on as it's on 24/7. I am uneasy not using a VPN but also don't like getting a warning every time I run a scan that the web protection isn't on. If my firewall has an extensive database and protects me from malicious urls can I relax and not worry about it when connected to my network wifi?
Hi,
What is your current setup? I can confirm with certainty that Web protection and the VPN cannot work at the same time due to iOS limitations. As mentioned previously, Web Protection on iOS relies on a local VPN configuration. However, this is not a traditional VPN that routes traffic through external servers for masking IP addresses. Instead, it creates a local VPN tunnel that enables Bitdefender to intercept and monitor network traffic on the device. Once enabled, the VPN profile allows Bitdefender to analyze the traffic data going in and out of your device. It checks for any potentially malicious websites, phishing attempts, and other threats by scanning the URLs before the content is loaded in your browser. Unlike a full VPN service, Bitdefender’s Web Protection does not redirect your traffic through external servers for anonymity or geo-spoofing. It operates entirely locally on your device, ensuring your data remains private and isn't sent to third-party servers for analysis. Also, since it uses a VPN profile, iOS may show a VPN icon in the status bar while Web Protection is enabled (this is naturally displayed when using a VPN, so it's possible that it was visible at all times and this may have led you to believe that both features were active at the same time). However, since iOS restricts the use of multiple VPN apps simultaneously due to limitations in its network configuration, allowing only one VPN tunnel at a time, the two cannot function simultaneously.
Now regarding the firewall, it operates at the network level and is designed to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules. So, the firewall is mainly in charge of packet filtering and traffic control, intrusion detection and prevention, it inspects deeper layers of traffic to detect anomalies or known attack patterns, and protects the system from unauthorized external access. However, the firewall doesn't really make deep content inspection for malware in files, and it's not usually responsible for URL reputation filtering or identifying malicious URLs based on content or heuristics. That's the antivirus's job. Basically, a firewall and an antivirus serve different but complementary roles in a layered security model. Therefore, even if you are connected to a secure network, you still have to be mindful about what URLs you are accessing, and the antivirus will prove very useful here.
