If software update could have fixed that issue, they probably would have fixed it. It might be a bug in macOS too, that's why the only solution is to uninstall completely and reinstall it again.
Thank you for your confirmation. If I want VPN I might have no other option. However, since others with "M" chips & macOS updates have this continuing issue, I have been attempting to contact Norton to get a fix for us all. I thought 8.9.0 might have been a fix since it occurred soon after 8.8.9.
Thanks again for being a user who frequents this forum and offers helpful suggestions.
I tried turning off the mac firewall as noted in the link; however, the VPN would still not function. The person who posted had tried uninstalling/reinstalling Norton but that did not fix the VPN but turning off the firewall then turning it back on after the VPN was functional worked.