Home country is UK. When selecting ‘fastest’ VPN connection, London is shown as usual. However, sometimes cannot access sites eg Ebay, Gov portal when on this setting. Error is bad gateway or permission denied sort of messages. Has always worked fine before. if I choose another country e.g. France or Belgium then the websites can be accessed.
Product & version number: VPN 26.2.10802
OS details: W10 Home
Example text:
403 Forbidden
WHAT? Why am I seeing this?
Your access to this site was blocked by Wordfence, a security provider, who protects sites from malicious activity.
If you believe Wordfence should be allowing you access to this site, please let them know using the steps below so they can investigate why this is happening.
The version 26.3 update introduced new features like IP Rotation and Double VPN, which are the most likely culprits for the “Bad Gateway” or “Permission Denied” errors you’re getting on UK sites.
Why 26.3 is triggering these errors in London
UK portals like eBay and GOV.UK use heavy bot-detection. Two specific settings in your new version are likely triggering their alarms:
IP Rotation: If this is enabled, Norton changes your IP address every 30 seconds. Secure sites see your session’s IP suddenly swap mid-load and will often kill the connection with a “Permission Denied” or “Bad Gateway” error to prevent what they think is a session hijack.
Ad Tracker Blocking: This version has updated filters that sometimes accidentally block the “handshake” scripts required by UK government logins.
Recommended Adjustments for Version 26.3
To stop the blocks while staying on a London server, try these specific toggles in the new interface:
Turn off IP Rotation: Go to your VPN Settings and ensure IP Rotation is toggled OFF. This keeps your London IP static during your session, which sites like eBay prefer.
Check Ad Tracker Blocking: In the Privacy section of the Norton dashboard, try briefly disabling Ad Tracker Blocking to see if GOV.UK loads.
Reset the Connection Protocol: Version 26.3 supports multiple protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN, Mimic). If “Fastest” is failing, go to Settings > Protocol and try switching from WireGuard to OpenVPN (TCP). TCP is slower but much more reliable for getting through strict firewalls that cause “Bad Gateway” errors.
Since France and Belgium work, it confirms the software itself is fine, but the specific London IP pool for this 26.3 build is likely being over-scrutinized by UK-based firewalls.
AI sourced content may make mistakes
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The issue you’re seeing with version 26.2.10802, is likely caused by the specific London server’s IP address being flagged or blocked by major UK services.
When a VPN server is heavily used, sites like eBay or government portals (GOV.UK) may see thousands of requests from that one IP and interpret it as suspicious activity or a bot, resulting in “Access Denied” or “Bad Gateway” errors.
Why “Fastest” is failing
Your VPN automatically picks London because it’s the closest and has the lowest latency. However, if that particular London server is currently blacklisted by a website’s security filter (like Akamai or Cloudflare, you’ll be blocked even if your internet is fine.
Immediate fixes to try
Force a new London IP: Instead of choosing “Fastest,” manually select UK or London from the list again. This sometimes forces the app to cycle to a different server/IP in the same region.
Clear your browser data: Sites often store “Access Denied” flags in your cookies. Even if you switch servers, the site might still block you until you clear your Cookies and Cache or try an Incognito/Private window.
Flush your DNS: On Windows 10, open Command Prompt as Admin and type ipconfig /flushdns then hit Enter. This clears out old connection “maps” that might be pointing to a bad gateway.
Check for Profile Updates: For Norton users, deleting your VPN profile (usually found in Settings) and letting the app recreate it can often resolve persistent “Bad Gateway” glitches.
Why France/Belgium works
Switching to another country provides you with a fresh IP address that hasn’t been flagged by those specific UK services. Since you are on 26.2.10802, the software itself is up to date, so the problem is almost certainly at the server-reputation level rather than a bug in your Windows 10 installation.
AI sourced content may make mistakes
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You are correct, and I appreciate the correction. IP Rotation and Double VPN were indeed present in version 26.2.10802.
Since these features were already active and the connection “always worked fine before,” the recent shift to “Bad Gateway” or “Permission Denied” errors on the London setting is likely due to the specific London IP pool used by Norton reaching a “tipping point” of detection by UK services.
Why London specifically is failing now
Major UK portals like eBay and GOV.UK maintain dynamic blacklists of IP addresses associated with VPN providers. If a particular server cluster (like Norton’s London exit node) is used by enough people simultaneously, it gets flagged as a “bot source” or “high risk”.
Because version 26.3.10886 just rolled out (April 1, 2026), your app likely updated its connection certificates or server list, re-connecting you to a specific London hardware block that is currently being scrutinized by UK firewalls.
Immediate steps to resolve in 26.3
Check IP Rotation Status: Even if it was there before, ensure it didn’t get “toggled on” by default during the update. Turning it OFF often fixes “Bad Gateway” errors on government sites that require a stable session IP.
Cycle the London Server: Instead of using “Fastest,” click Change Location and manually select United Kingdom again. This can force the app to pick a different IP from the pool that might not be blacklisted yet.
Switch Protocol to OpenVPN (TCP): In the Settings > Protocol menu, change from “Automatic” or “WireGuard” to OpenVPN (TCP). TCP is designed for reliability over speed and is much harder for sites like eBay to misidentify as a “Bad Gateway” error.
Clear Browser Cache: Often, once a site gives you a “Permission Denied” error, it “remembers” your connection attempt. Try using an Incognito window or clear your cookies/cache after switching servers to ensure a fresh handshake.
Since France and Belgium work, your Norton installation and Windows 10 OS are communicating perfectly. The issue is strictly the reputation of the London IP addresses.
AI sourced content may make mistakes
Caveat: I’m not standalone Norton VPN
Thanks for the detailed report and for taking the time to share this with us.
We’ve just tested accessing the home pages of ebay.co.uk and gov.uk while connected to UK locations in Norton Secure VPN, and they are loading correctly on our side.
To help us reproduce and investigate what you’re seeing, could you please share a bit more detail?
Are you doing anything specific on these sites when the problem occurs (for example, signing in, using a particular GOV.UK service, making a payment, or viewing a certain page)?
Do you get the issue on specific pages only? If so, please share the exact URL(s) that fail to load.
If you see a particular error message (e.g., 403 Forbidden, Bad Gateway, or similar), a short description or screenshot would be very helpful.
Our understanding is that you’re using the Norton Secure VPN standalone app. Within the United Kingdom region there are multiple city options; please try selecting a different UK city (instead of “Fastest”) and see if the same issue occurs. Also, please try switching between VPN protocol (for example Automatic, WireGuard, or OpenVPN), and let us know whether that changes the behavior.
Please share the results of these tests and any additional details you can provide. That will greatly help us narrow this down and work on a fix if needed.
Thanks both for your answers, it does look like the default London that is selected when choosing fastest is blacklisted.
If I select UK from the dropdown list of countries, I get a different IP address and that works fine.
I don’t see anywhere though that I can select multiple locations for the UK. If I click on Change Location I get a list with Fastest and P2P and then about 30 countries, of which UK appears once. How do I see multiple locations for the UK, please?
If this is what you are seeing, it looks like you are using the VPN feature of Norton 360. To get the additional countries and city locations you need to be using the standalone Norton Secure VPN app. Unfortunately, you can only use one of Norton 360 or the Standalone Secrure VPN. You cannot install both on the same system. And the standalone requires a separate subscription fee.
Norton recommends against running the standalone Norton VPN app and the Norton 360 VPN feature on the same machine simultaneously. While they are both Norton products, they are developed by different internal teams and do not communicate with each other, which can lead to technical conflicts and system instability.
Core Recommendations
Choose One: It is best to stick with one application. If your Norton 360 plan already includes the VPN feature, it is recommended to uninstall the standalone app to avoid redundancy and potential issues.
Unified Interface: Using the VPN built into Norton 360 is typically preferred for all-in-one convenience and better value.
Reasons to Avoid Using Both
Software Conflicts: Both apps attempt to manage network drivers simultaneously, which can cause routing errors, connection drops, or total loss of internet connectivity.
Redundancy and Competition: Having both is unnecessary and causes them to compete for resources or fight for control over features like “Kill Switch”.
Mobile Limitations: On iOS/Android, only one active VPN profile is usually allowed, leading to “duplicate profile” errors.
Key Differences to Consider
While redundant, the standalone app may offer more granular features like city-level selection, dedicated torrent support, or different privacy policy terms compared to the VPN included in Norton 360.
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Norton documentation and official support community advice emphasize that you should not run both the standalone Norton VPN app and the VPN feature within Norton 360 on the same device. While they are both Norton products, they operate independently and can cause significant technical issues.
Official Stance and Documentation
Direct Incompatibility: Norton Community users state that if you already have Norton 360, you should not install the standalone Norton Secure VPN.
Installation Blockers: Some installation routines for the standalone VPN may even instruct you to uninstall Norton 360 first to prevent conflicts between the two products’ security features.
Redundancy: The “Secure VPN” feature in Norton 360 is designed to provide the same core protection as the standalone version. Installing both is unnecessary and consumes extra system resources.
Known Issues if Both Are Present
If both are installed, you may experience:
Connection Drops: Both applications may fight for control over your device’s network drivers, leading to frequent disconnects.
Profile Conflicts (Mobile): On iOS, each app installs a separate VPN profile. Only one can be active at a time, and running both can lead to “duplicate profile” errors.
Troubleshooting Difficulty: Because the two apps do not communicate with each other, it becomes difficult to identify which one is causing a network or security error.
Recommendations
Stick to Norton 360: If your plan includes the VPN, it is recommended to use the integrated version and uninstall the standalone app for better stability.
Protocol Differences: Use the standalone app only if you require specific advanced features—like city-level server selection or specialized “Double VPN” servers—that might not be present in your current 360 version.
So by buying both, I get less features and more bugs, nice. Don’t ever recall that being mentioned when they came up for renewal. I can’t see VPN anywhere in 360, presumably that feature costs more then.
Can you open what you feel is the standalone VPN app from its icon. Then look for Settings > About to get the version number. It is possible that you have the older standalone version that would install alongside 360, and somehow you did not get updated to the latest standalone VPN version.
What you are seeing is that the VPN app is picking up your 360 Gamer’s subscription key. Because of that you will not see all features of the standalone VPN.
Have you had the standalone VPN for a long time? If so, it was probably activated with your 360 subscription. That is what was allowed at that time. Then your standalone VPN app did get updated to the newer product, but it only allows the features that are included in the 360 VPN feature.
As noted already, you cannot have the current full Norton Secure VPN app installed on a system that already has 360 installed. I just tested this again and when I tried to install the standalone VPN app I got this error message.
If you uninstall your standalone app, and try to reinstall, you will have the same message.
You have to choose which you want to use and then you might want to cancel your other subscription to save some money. You can check the different features included in 360 and Secure VPN on the Norton website. www.norton.com
I first bought VPN in Feb 2023. Can’t remember when Norton Gamer started, I was a Bullguard subscriber and I got automatically transferred to ‘Norton Go Premium’ in Sept 2022.
There were definitely no warnings when I installed the VPN.
So if I uninstall the VPN app, will VPN then appear on 360? Or do I have to uninstall both and reinstall 360? Will I lose all my definitions and exclusions if I do that?
I looked a little deeper into the features of Norton Gamer (Norton GO), and there is only one subscription level that does have the VPN feature. Of course it is the most expensive version, Norton GO Platinum. So if you have a lesser version I would think you should be able to install the standalone version.
Because you have the Premium level subscription, if you want the VPN feature included within your 360 product, you could upgrade to the Platinum level subscription. But that would only give you the VPN features and virtual locations you are now seeing.
If you want the extra virtual locations of the standalone VPN, you need to get the VPN to use your standalone VPN subscription instead of the 360 subscription. What I found I had to do on my mobile devices is uninstall both 360 and VPN apps and restart the device. Then install the VPN app first and activate it. Check in Settings > About to ensure it is registered as the VPN app and not 360. Then try installing 360 gamers again and see if it will install. Hopefully it will work this way for a PC.
