MullvadVPN-2024.3-beta1 raises error with Norton, app is fully blocked from changing servers (Location)

[narration-sd]

Is it a bug?

• I know this is an issue with the app, and contacting Mullvad support is not relevant.

I have checked if others have reported this already

• I have checked the issue tracker to see if others have reported similar issues.

Current Behavior

A hard block to changing Location, even after full reboot, first and every time tried with this Beta.

I'm attaching a screenshot of what Norton reports. Reverting to current 2024.2, no problems of this kind.

Two more Norton alerts occurred during deinstallation of this Beta, prior to installing current. Didn't check if they were the same cause, though presume so. You need to improve your testing to iinclude Norton, certainly....

Expected Behavior

Should just work to change Location.

Steps to Reproduce

1. install the beta
2. try to change Location from whatever it was before

Failure Logs

I checked the logs, intending to send them, but de-install Beta apparently cleared them, so there are only logs from fresh re-installed 2024.2. This was a very hard fail, so you should be able to see it as soon as you test with Norton latest.

Operating system version

Windows 11 latest, all updates

Mullvad VPN app version

2024.3-beta1

Additional Information

No response

[raksooo]

Thank you for reporting this. I'm not sure why you're getting this warning. Please try 2024.3 stable that was released a few hours ago and see if it works better.

[narration-sd]

Hello Oskar, ah, and I just notice after writing this, raksooo :)

I've tried the release-beta, and at first thought it might somehow be better, thinking perhaps Norton had become smarter in recognizing you're trying to alter your own file, which is what the fault/notify/refusal dialog shows, if you look at it.

However, I continue to have this total lockout problem, and have had to shift back to 2024.2, which performs without it. So you did change something, and it does upset security software.. A delta look for what you've changed which affects that file they mention ought to turn up the source of the problem, at least in a better world than software sometimes is.

What sets this off, so that I thought at first it was repaired, but found it wasn't? I think it may be doing usual laptop things like closing the lid, which in my case I have set to do hibernation, due to the total mess Microsoft made of sleep 'modes'.

It's also my sense (we don't take notes when a breakdown is blocking important matters and we are fixing it) that nothing you can do will un-break the lock-in, except to actually remove Mullvad from the machine, restart, and put it back .But as you see, this time I didn't put it back; rather, replaced it with the most recent working version.

One more reason to have done the replacement may also have to do with this other blocking problem. It seems to show in several ways, on the recent beta/release version.

• Although I have pass-through checked, I cannot use local internet items like my Canon printer, unless, again, I defeat -- and I think once again totally uninstall -- that latest Mullvad.

• another, which I can't remember, but probably involved with how nervous Mullvad gets when my wifi changes access points, or one of them is dying.

• I think you've improved probably this last one, but it is still present to degree, that after a time, possibly with access point dropping in and out a few times, Mullvad lowers the data rate for the connection to microscopic - 1MB/s or so. This also happens if I am only playing YouTube while doing other work on the machine, apparently a consequence of its bursty pulses which don't last long at high data rate. Knowing 'a bit' about protocols, I suspect you or WireGuard have a real problem that has been present now for years.

Oskar, I've tried to help many times over the years, but previous persons were actually annoyed that I mentioned things. I think you're trying to make real improvements, hence I've laid out a few things here.

I hope at the least you can get the lockout problems repaired shortly, as those must be a problem for your business. I've stuck with you because I like the actual level of doing what VPNs are supposed to -- and because long instincts and experience there want to see a smaller, European operation succeed.

Best,
Clive

[gsture]

Easy fix: Don't use Norton, it is useless resource hogging application with no real benefits. In contrary to what these company's like Norton and McAfee want you to believe the included windows defender antivirus is really good in protecting your pc without slowing things down or giving you strange issues like this.

[narration-sd]

Hello Oskar, once again, and realizing your identitiy here actually is @raksooo -- without the snow I'll guess, at this time :)

I think we can remove this and some other long-reported issues.

• I no longer see the hard failure on Mullvad accessing its own configuration when switching node sites This had been a problem only apparent with the current 2014.3 release

• I actually no longer see the slowdowns and overnight complete blocking of Mullvad, which had been repairable only by switching node sites whenever it showed up. This had been a problem over many of your releases.

What's different, as that second problem had occurred over a quite decent ldevelopment laptop over long term, then just the same on a new and even more powerful laptop?

• the big one for the second and longterm issue, I think, is that I replaced what now appears to have been a bad repeater on my wifi..

  • This had looked all along as a protocol issue, having an amount of experience with those, and apparently was caused by bad things the prior repeater was doing, something that didn't get along.
  • I replaced a quite decent Tp-Link rouiter running in repeater mode, with a well-regarded current repeater from them, and everything is far happier. Including Mullvad, which along with else, 'just works' the way it is supposed to, day after day, and I can say now, week after week.

• the issue with blocking and Norton is a little harder to fathom, as it was as reported a driect rejection of Mullvad trying to alter its own file.

  • I was very up-to-date on all software versions during the time this was prevalent, as I do serious development on this machine, and believe I noticed it occurring after the laptop had been in Hibernate, as I set lid close to do that, avoiding the now-unreliable sleep modes of Microsoft.
  • now, though, I have a fresh installation of Norton, a re-downloaded Mullvad (though it is as expected no different from the 2024.3 originally used), and in fact the latest preview for tomorrows Win11 first Tuesday release. I can't see what the new router repeater can have to with this issue, but it is also there.
  • in testing a number of Hibernates followed by multipole Mullvad node changes, no problems now ensue. So somebody has caught up with reality, that security should not be interested that you alter your own files.. It happens, doesn't it. But I am very pleased all is working again.

Thanks for your patience with all of this, Oskar, and hope you are enjoying your springtime. I'm now much more able to recommend Mullvad to others, as the longterm problems may have been in sensitivities, I've thought, in the otherwise quite desirable Wireguard protocol, but now seem not to appear in a properly working network connection.

Best,
Clive