VPN blocking email - new issue

maxymax · 2024-12-29T03:46:34+00:00

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I've been using Bitdefender SafePay and VPN for about 4 years. Other than some hiccups it's been great. Starting about two weeks ago the VPN is blocking emails (AOL/Verizon flavor) from downloading. I can only get new emails when I shut off the VPN, then it's fine. Also, there have always been some websites I can't get to with VPN on, but it's been getting more widespread, also in the last 2 weeks. Sometimes I can cruise a website fine, but any links don't connect, I get this new message that also disappears when I switch off VPN.

Hmmm… can't reach this page

t.co’s server IP address could not be found.

Any help appreciated. The amount I have to turn off the VPN now is crazy and obviously defeats the point of having a VPN in the first place. Thank you.

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Comments

Petersl

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/102689/vpn-blocking-email-new-issue

Hi @maxymax

Have you tried connecting to a different VPN server?

Are you using a web browser or a e-mail client app? You can split tunnel the e-mail client app or split tunnel the e-mail website if you're using a browser.

In the VPN app, go to "settings" then "advanced" and then "split-tunneling".

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

In addition to Petersl's insightful information, check out this article as well:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/30765/

It might worth looking into the DNS and Default Gateway address as well.

I hope this helps.

Best regards and Happy New Year!

CanDor-ESM

Unfortunately more and more sites are blocking VPN access and split-tunneling does not always work either… I have first had experience with that. I frequently access a geo-blocked site, I have that site setup in split-tunneling and I still get blocked unless I completely disconnect from the VPN. If a site digs deep enough, they can still detect a VPN. There is another discussion in this forum that identifies that.

Alexandru_BD

Yes, certain services have mechanisms that block VPN traffic. And bypassing these blocks can be tricky, as many services actively work to identify and restrict VPN traffic. To tackle this, there are several strategies that can be used. The first solution would be the obfuscated servers that disguise VPN traffic as regular internet traffic. Some VPNs already offer specific servers optimized for this purpose. Another thing to keep in mind is that some websites block traffic associated with specific VPN protocols, so you can try to switch between VPN Protocols to check which one works best in this scenario. It has been noticed that WireGuard for example is lightweight and often harder to detect. OpenVPN (TCP) is more reliable for bypassing blocks compared to UDP. IKEv2/IPSec can sometimes be overlooked by blocks.

Services and websites often block VPN traffic by identifying and blacklisting IP ranges used by VPN providers. This can sometimes be bypassed by switching to a different server in the same country, or by using servers in nearby countries if the service has broad blocks.
Also, it's important to mention that Split tunneling allows specific traffic to bypass the VPN, and this basically means that you can configure it to route only certain applications or websites through the VPN, and the services, apps and websites that block the connection can be excluded, while still maintaining a secure connection for other activities.

Sometimes, the block is at the ISP or network level. Switching to a mobile network or a different ISP might help bypass restrictions. Furthermore, services might block VPNs by redirecting traffic via DNS filtering. The workaround here would be to use custom DNS servers like Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).

My additional tips here would be the following:

Avoid free VPNs because these are more likely to be blocked as their IP ranges are well-known.
Keep the VPN software updated, because the latest builds often include improvements to bypass blocks.
Avoid overly crowded servers, because services might target heavily used servers first.

Surely, more tailored solutions for the tech savvy may be out there, but generally speaking, I don't think that the VPN will completely lose the capacity to bypass geo-blocking one day. I think there will always be clever people who will find ingenious methods to bypass such restrictions. 😉

Regards

CanDor-ESM

Hi Alex, Thanks for the info… very helpful!

I am now able to access the geo-blocked site using split-tunneling while maintaining a VPN connection to servers in different countries using the IKEv2 protocol.

Armando-1957

Same things happen to me as well. I tried every solution posted but got nowhere. It seems that with the VPN on no mail is received or sent through Airmail client (or any other I tried). It only happens on the iMac running Catalina. MacBook running Sonoma and iPhone/iPad seem to be unaffecte

PharmdID

Split-Tunneling helped with my AOL account. Google is doing the same also. Will not open if VPN is on. Appears adding the websites to Bit-Defender is working (for now). We will see what the next updated for Windows does to my VPN.

Armando-1957

I'm not a great experto so I have a question: how do you split tunnel emails using GMail or Yahoo and read through a client?

Alexandru_BD

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/349524#Comment_349524

Hi,

Split tunneling allows you to pick and choose which applications or traffic goes outside the VPN tunnel to use your regular internet connection. But I'm not sure I understand your question.. when using the Split tunneling feature, after enabling it, you can exclude a site, or an app. When choosing the later, you’ll typically see a list of installed applications.

Armando-1957

In my settings I have: "Allow web sites to bypass the VPN" (see picture)

How can an email server or client bypass the VPN? It does not have an URL. What should I type in?

Sorry but, as I stated, I'm rather at loss with these kind of things

ScreenFloat Shot of Bitdefender VPN at 31 Jan 2025 at 12_27_53.jpg

Alexandru_BD

Well, do you use webmail or an email app? For webmail, simply us the 'Add website' option and add the URL there. For an email client application software installed on your device, use the 'Add application' option to exclude the app.
If you are unable to send/receive emails when connected to the VPN, I don't exclude the possibility that the email provider has blacklisted the IP of the VPN server, as this may happen.
First thing, check if it happens when connecting to different countries/servers. Usually this is solved if you contact the email provider and tell them to remove the IP from the blacklist. Alternatively, the Split tunneling feature can be used.

Armando-1957

Thank you but I don't have an "Add application" in the Bitdefender VPN options to exclude the email client

Alexandru_BD

That's weird.. Try to reinstall the app, this should give you the latest version available and the option to add an application should be displayed there as well. This is how mine looks: