Why does my VPN keep dropping after I use Safe Pay?

IwantIn

Ever since the new recent upgrades my VPN keep dropping after I use Safe Pay. Is this normal? It makes me nervous.

Alexandru_BD

Just following up here, this situation has been resolved. To everyone who encountered this VPN behavior in conjuction with Safepay, the protected browser should no longer disconnect the VPN when used.

Regards,

Alex

Scott

Hi @IwantIn

Do you mean, disconnecting?

It sounds like it's functioning properly. If in the Bitdefender App you have it set for VPN to open with Safepay, it will automatically be enabled while in Safepay mode. But once you exit out, it will automatically disconnect from Safepay, this way you don't have to disable it, VPN, once you're out of SafePay and in your normal Windows, browsing mode. You may have clicked the VPN icon at the bottom of Safepay, which will open the Settings to enable it, and once enabled, it will always connect when in Safpay mode, then disconnect automatically when you exit out of Safepay.

On the main Dashboard, on the left side, go to Privacy/Safepay/Settings/Settings and confirm VPN is set to open with Safepay.

Now, if you didn't have the Safepay auto-connect enabled but were already connected with the VPN on your desktop, Safpay would load with the VPN still connected. At times, it can take an exit out of Safepay, and back in, for the VPN to show green and connected. It will stay connected when you leave Safepay, as Bitdefender realizes you were using it on the desktop, in desktop mode.

If this didn't help, or answer your question, please post back.

Kind regards,

Scott

QAGuy

I experienced the same thing over and over….vpn disconnected after exiting Safeway. Was told by Bitdefender support to turn off Safeway vpn auto connect. Was also told there are 2 vpns…. Regular windows vpn and Safeway vpn. Too many answers that don5 add up. Most likely bug with software update. Once I turned off auto connect, vpn remains on. However, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of having Safeway auto connect on?

WileECoyote

I had the 'Use VPN with Safepay' toggle active before the recent updates to Bitdefender. Prior to the update, if Bitdefender VPN was already active (using the Windows standalone icon) before launching Safepay, Safepay VPN would show connected (green dot). When Safepay was closed, the Windows VPN would remain connected.

After the Bitdefender update, if the Bitdefender Windows VPN is active and Safepay is launched, the Safepay VPN indicator shows disconnected (red), however toggling to the the Windows desktop, the Windows VPN is shows connected.

Closing Safepay will close the Windows VPN connection and you have to manually reconnect it.

Safepay VPN and the Bitdefender Windows VPN did not have these conflicts before the updates. The two products worked well together. Why the change in programming?

Shutting off Safepay VPN toggle seems a bit 'anti-security' as I don't always have the Bitdefender Windows VPN active. Keeping the Safepay VPN toggle on however will cause the Windows VPN to disconnect, if it was active, which leaves the Windows session vulnerable. I do have VPN notifications active to know when the VPN is off, however why the change to Bitdefender and Safepay working hand in glove?

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

There are two use case scenarios that have been tested and are currently under investigation by the development teams.

Case 1:

• VPN OFF → opening Safepay → we see VPN connected in the lower bar status bar in Safepay
• once we close Safepay → the VPN is disconnected.

Case 2:

• VPN ON → opening Safepay → we see VPN disconnected in the lower status bar in Safepay
• once we close Safepay → the VPN is disconnected.

Note: Safepay was configured to connect the VPN when opened in both cases.

Apparently, this behavior only occurs on v27. When reinstalling with v26 initially, the engineers could not reproduce the behavior. After updating to v27, the issue started occurring again. So, we are now waiting for further updates from the development teams.

Thank you for your patience.

Regards,

Alex

Jimboy76

I have the same behaviour as described by Alexandru_BD admin July 28 edited July 28.

Its now September, what is the solution please?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Jimboy76 and thank you for your patience.

A fix for this Bitdefender behavior is still undergoing development. I don't have an estimated time for the release of the fix yet, but it will be implemented by an automatic update of Bitdefender. Please keep in mind that all reported bugs require investigation time, and in exceptional cases the debugging phase may take longer than initially expected.

In the event you have also raised a ticket with the Support teams, they will provide you with an update once the fix is available and I will also follow up on this thread as soon as I have news.

Regards,

Alex

Jimboy76

OK Alexandru_BD, thanks for the reply, do you know of a workaround to get VPN working in Safepay (your case 2 above) ?

Alexandru_BD

Well, in my case I have the VPN set to autoconnect at Windows startup and Safepay is also set to connect the VPN automatically when used. If I open Safepay while the VPN is already connected, it remains enabled for the entire duration of the session, then when I close it, the VPN is still on, it doesn't disconnect. I'm on Bitdefender build 27.0.18.96.

Jimboy76

OK I my build number is 27.0.18.96 and I do the same as you and VPN disconnects in Safepay.

I recently added VPN to my Bit Defender to improve the security for online banking but I can't get it to work.

This seems like a serious issue which needs sorting urgently.

Alexandru_BD

I understand. This situation is being addressed with high priority and we are looking forward to a swift resolution.

Safepay is a very sealed environment and I wouldn't worry if the VPN cannot be used at the same time, if you are using a secure network with Bitdefender Firewall in place. In my opinion, the built-in VPN was mostly designed to be used when the computer is connected to unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Safepay is a protected browser after all and its purpose is to keep your online banking, e-shopping, and any other type of online transaction private and secure. This means it can defend against all e-threats that target your banking data such as hacking, phishing, packet analysis, “man-in-the-browser” and “man-in-the-middle” attacks, trojans, system changes, etc.

Thank you for your patience @Jimboy76 👍️

newby99

I have been having the exact problem of BitDefender VPN not connecting in SafePay. I have VPN set to start with windows and it's set to connect when SafePay starts. I am using a fresh install of BitDefender as of today and it's still not connecting in SafePay. The build is 27.0.25.115. I was on version 26 when it started. This happens on 2 different computers.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @newby99,

Wait for build 27.0.27.128 and check if the issue persists after the update. Right-click on the Bitdefender icon in the systray to look for updates.

Let us know if the issue persists after updating Bitdefender to the latest version.

Regards,

Alex

newby99

Hello,

I have tried updating numerous times. Only the virus definitions update. The current build is still 27.0.25.115.

Gjoksi

Hello.

Uninstall the Bitdefender program using the Uninstall Tool:

https://www.bitdefender.com/links/uninstall_consumer_paid.html

Next, install Bitdefender by following the steps from this article:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28558/

Regards.

newby99

@Gjoksi

I did a fresh install on January 23 and again today using the Bitdefender uninstall tool. I also checked for any remaining Bitdefender program pieces in "add remove programs". If it makes any difference, I use Bitdefender through Netgear Armor and have to get the Bitdefender program through them. Do they have the newest version of Bitdefender? That seems to be the only reason I am not getting the program update. After the fresh install today the build is still 27.0.25.115.

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

I think the Netgear version may be different, so you are still on 27.0.25.115 most probably because this is the latest version available with Netgear.

newby99

@Alexandru_BD

Do you know why Netgear is so far behind? I'm beginning to think it is better to purchase directly from Bitdefender rather than Netgear Armor if I want the best protection possible. I'm just not sure how this would affect the Orbi router/modem protection.

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

I'm not really sure, as I'm not very familiar with Netgear to be honest. I know their routers are top-notch, but in terms of software versions, I can't say how they are being deployed there.. But even if the build may not be the latest, the signatures must be up to date.

newby99

I am still waiting on the update for the Netgear Bitdefender program. I get virus definition updates but no program updates. Version is still 27.0.25.115.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @newby99,

I think you could make an inquiry about this at Netgear. They should be able to shed some light on how often the product updates are being carried out for them. For example, Bitdefender frequently updates its signatures multiple times within a day, as you've noticed, you are getting virus definition updates regularly. However, when it comes to product updates that involve changing the version number, they occur less frequently, typically once every 4 weeks.

But I can't speak for Netgear because I'm not using their routers. It could either be something that's preventing the most recent update deployment, or the builds are unsynchronized for other reasons..

Regards,

Alex

newby99

Thanks @Alexandru_BD. I have put in a question to the NetGear community last week. If I request BitDefender support from NetGear Armor it sends me over to BitDefender support. The responses aren't helpful since it's not NetGear based support. I know they (BitDefender) are trying their best to help.

newby99

I was finally able to get to NetGear support. They had me try a few things that were all the same that this community has had me try without success. The tech and supervisor told me that I need to take this up with BitDefender since it's not a NetGear product. How do I contact BitDefender support to get answers for this almost 4 month of issues? I see the lastest build is now 27.0.35.146 and was released on April 11, 2024. After numerous updates I am still on 27.0.25.115.

Alexandru_BD

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337689#Comment_337689

Hello @newby99 and thanks for following up. I'm sorry to hear this.. Here's the link for Bitdefender Support, simply state your contact reason, then choose from the available contact channels, chat, phone and email/ticket. Chat would be the fastest way to reach them:

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

Regards,

Alex

newby99

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337798#Comment_337798

Thank you @Alexandru_BD!