I'm curious why the site gives me an "Access Denied" error message when I'm connected through my Norton VPN. If I turn off the VPN, it works fine. I'm using Win 10 and Firefox.

 

This is by design. There are methods of circumventing this - which requires the Administrator who setup the VPN to make changes. But, to answer your question directly this is by design. You obviously know a VPN (Virtual Private Network) establishes an encrypted tunnel between two designated end-points. It can be changed, but by default, if the VPN is ON, every packet formation will be made via the VPN to the two end-points established via the VPN protocol. Is this a work VPN or your own personally set up VPN? I might be able to assist - keyword = might.

 

It's the VPN that comes with Norton, and this is the only site that I have a problem with.

 

I'll embellish a moment here. If you have a VPN established on a highly important dedicated laptop/tablet/PC which you employ for (most often) a corporation (in particular ANY device which contains classified information, in particular), the Administrator can "lock" the VPN so as to deny any other VPN connection between ANY other two end-points of communication. This is by design. It removes, in particular all types of attacks to the packets in transmission from being read &/or compromised by attackers. The packets formed on the device contain the encrypted VPN packet headers which CANNOT be read by any end-point other than the end-point for which the VPN was established. Again, this can be changed, there are some caveats involved.

 

I forwarded your question to IB.

 

I have not attempted to troubleshoot a Norton VPN connection to www.classicoldsmobile.com. With that said, my first inclination is to suggest the front-end interface of CO does not allow a VPN connection from ANY device unless it is a CO-issued VPN client. This can be turned ON/OFF by CO. Many companies do not allow VPN access other than their own proprietary VPN clients. I cannot say if CO disallows a VPN connection - I suspect they do not unless again, the VPN client was issued by CO. It is a safeguard.

 

I'll make this suggestion (as I've already made a suggestion above). If a site (CO) is refusing access when your VPN is “on”, try changing the location of the VPN server you want to use. If you are connecting to a USA site, choose a different server in the USA. Some sites just refuse ANY VPN server location.

 

If your web browser displays the error 1005, it means that the page you're trying to visit has blocked your IP address. Fix this issue by disabling any free VPN or proxy you might be using and consider switching to a premium solution.
The above point (if I might explain) is this....you can find free IP addresses anywhere. These "types" of free IP addresses are exactly the types of free IP addresses free VPN solutions employ on the Internet and smart companies deny access to these free IP addresses (because they've seen far too many scammers employ free VPN solutions to circumvent a website's security measures). It's just one possibility why your VPN is failing for CO. They ban those blocks of IP addresses.

 

And, that's pretty much what's going on here in your case (image below). You might try my suggestion above (change the VPN server and/or the network) - because those IP addresses are handed out via different VPN servers and across different networks, but.....I suspect IB is smarter than that and has banned nearly all of these types IP addresses. Let's say it would not surprise me in the least.

 

I'll explain something (more than you most likely care to know, but there may be a chance). An IP address is to the internet nothing more than a mailbox number - you can get them anywhere, find them anywhere, buy them anywhere, blah, blah, blah. What you CANNOT find anywhere is the MAC address of the computer which sent out those packets of information. The MAC address is UNIQUE. It is HARDWARE encoded on your Network Adapter card. Therefore, in many respects an IP is mere popcorn. A "real" VPN is negotiated via the MAC address on the Network Adapter card. That's how the big boys do it.

 

If you run the "ipconfig /all" command (w/o quotes) you can find your MAC (Media Access Control) Network Adapter card number. Every single Network Adapter card issued globally has a UNIQUE hard-coded MAC address. At the root of MIT's network security lays the MAC address, but MIT also employs their unique proprietary TCP/IP protocol. They still challenge anyone in the world to break their network security (I think - been awhile). At any rate, you can mask any IP (it's a child's game), there are some methods hackers try to "spoof" a MAC address, but they all fail at the hard-code level if it goes to court in the judicial system. Since this is (more or less) a sidebar thread - note my MAC address - you won't find one anywhere else in the world - it's hardcoded on my PC (I in fact have several network adapters), but every single network adapter is unique and hardcoded. When you establish a TS (Top Secret)/SCI (Secured Compartmental Information) VPN client for the big boys, you employ ONLY the MAC address. Bob's your Uncle.....

 

I use Proton VPN (personal use), Win10, and Firefox. I have no problem connecting with CO. However other sites will not connect, regardless of the city or country of the apparent VPN location.

U.S Government sites, such as USPS, are some of the ones that will not connect through my VPN. Unfortunately they have maximum loads of tracking bits and I am frustrated that I don't know how to connect anonymously.

 

I use proton vpn also. I have discovered that as long as the vpn is one of the "free US" locations I can generally access this site. If I use a vpn location outside the US, say Netherlands, for example I am not able to login to the site. I get the dreaded Error Code and time out.