Cannot Get To Websites, But Intermittently. Any Ideas Why?

cooniedude

I frequently have trouble getting to one of my regular Web sites, but intermittently. One day it works, the next day not - I get a bogus message that the page is "down". I try 3 browsers - Chrome, Edge and Firefox - and none of the work. Any BD VPN or Firewall settings I should check?

Gjoksi

Hello.

Check out these articles:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/13353/

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28500/

and see if the steps in the articles will help you with the issue.

Regards.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @cooniedude,

This error usually appears whenever a page is unavailable.

It's possible for the web server running a website, the routers, and other equipment that connects your computer to the server to go down. Changes, maintenance, patching, or other issues can cause the web server or routers to be unavailable. When this happens, your computer may get an error (e.g., 404 error) or timeout when trying to access a website. This could be a potential cause, especially if the connection is lost intermittently.

Apart from this, you may check the VPN and Anti-tracker settings, as suggested by @Gjoksi above.

Regards

cooniedude

The steps suggested by you and Gjoksi didn't work, but thank you anyway.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @cooniedude,

I'm sorry to hear that.

Let's check if the firewall is somehow interfering with the connection. Do you encounter this issue with the firewall ON or OFF? If the firewall is enabled, turn it OFF and see how the connection behaves afterwards.

Also, do you have any other security solutions installed on your device? Are you using the VPN during browsing? Because the issue may have multiple possible causes depending on what's being used and the configuration of Bitdefender, its firewall and VPN while the website is being accessed. And last but not least, are you encountering this behaviour with other websites as well, or just a particular website?

So many details are missing, thus it is difficult for us to pronounce ourselves with the information available in the thread..

Regards

cooniedude

To: Alexandru_BD from cooniedude

The Windows firewall is off. Bitdefender is the only security package I'm using.

 I have encountered this problem with a total of 3 websites, one of which is macys.com, which has

several web entries about the same problem I am having, so the problem is not unique to me.

 On a "good" day, I can get to the web page I originally mentioned, which is Morgan Stanley,

using the Bitdefender VPN or not, using Edge or Chrome. On a "bad" day, I can't get to the page

VPN or not, using any browser. I can't get to Morgan Stanley's page using Firefox, ever. 

I have also tried varying the host to which the VPN sends messages, using several locations in the U.S.

 On a bad day, it made no difference.

I really think it must have to do with the way the message is routed, over which I have no control.

 I think I'll just have to live with the bad days.

Thank you for taking an interest in my problem. I think BD is an excellent package.

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Hello @cooniedude,

This is very curious, because, let's think of it this way: if the VPN or the antivirus was somehow blocking access, this should not happen randomly, but access would be restricted at all times.

However, since there are multiple websites involved, this also raises questions and could point to the antivirus.

Also, if you are encountering this behaviour ONLY with banking websites in conjunction with VPN/Safepay, some banking apps and websites will not work with a VPN connection or encryption due to extensive antifraud security measures taken by various banks. More information about this can be found in the article below:

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

I am not suggesting that this is 100% the cause here, but it's something worth taking into consideration when accessing banking websites.

I would also advise you to ask our engineers to have a closer look, as they have the required tools to identify the cause. You can reach them using the link below:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

I hope this helps.

Regards