Client cannot log into Jira using VPN

[George Kanchev]

Hi,

I have a client from a different company who uses our Jira. She is currently using a VPN and cannot access Jira. No error message is thrown, only a forever spinning load at the login page.

This happens through wifi and 4g, and on 3 different browsers.

None of the other colleagues can use this particular VPN so the issue cannot be reproduced easily.

Since we use AAD, the client doesn't need to use another VPN to connect to our Jira, so there's no chance of double VPN clashes and such.

Let me know if you have any ideas (short of not using the VPN since that's required for her to access other resources)

Thanks in advance,
Georgi

[Dave Dumaresq]

I'm having the same trouble. Saying it has nothing to do with JIRA is not a helpful answer.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You're right, it's not helpful.  It can't be.

If Jira is working without a vpn, but fails when you are on a vpn, then the problem is with the vpn, not Jira.

We can't help without more information on the source of the problem (the vpn, not Jira), and even if we did, we're Atlassian geeks, not vpn geeks.

[teckel12]

No, it probably means Jira is using a bad-practice security check like locking to an IP address, when VPN or double-NAT connections can change IP addresses frequently.  I don't technically even have a VPN, I just have a cellular Internet connection, and as it's behind a double-NAT like connection, my IP address is shared between thousands of people at once.  Some services, like Jira, have a poor (or maybe over-zealous) security which doesn't work.

Basically, I can't sign on at all to Jira (Atlassian) on my phone, it doesn't accept my Google Authenticator 2FA, it always requires me to also use a Yubikey, which is clumsy to use on a mobile device.

[Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_]

Hello @teckel12 

Jira by itself (whether it's Cloud or Server or DC) does not have ability to check 2FA. Atlassian ID (protecting access in Cloud) doesn't have ability to check or require you to use Yubikey.

This sounds more like your Identity Provider enforcing your organisation's security policies i.e. "has nothing to do with Jira" and is in your infrastructure/security team's domain. Have you tried talking to them first?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

They do not do that, your problem is with your networking and/or 2FA system, not Atlassian's ID system.

[Thomas Deiler]

@teckel12 Are you facing issues with login in, currently? If yes, can you please tell me which VPN solution you are using?

[iuresti]

Same thing is happening to me ... In my case my VPN (GlobalProtect) + jira works fine if I use the WiFi of my ISP's router .. but if I use my eero system in the middle it doesn't work .. Just to be clear, my VPN works fine with any other service like jenkins, ssh or public websites .. it doesn't work with jira, confluence and bitbucket

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

This suggests that "eero" is blocking parts of your VPN.  You'll need to talk to them - Jira does not do anything clever here, it accepts a connection on a standard port and talks to it (as long as the connection is whitelisted if you've enabled whitelisting)

[Thomas Deiler]

Dear @George Kanchev,

I need more details to understand your problem:

• Does they log in over a jump host?
• Can the VPN users access your companies DNS?
• Are there Firewalls installed blocking traffic?
• What's your network topology?
• On which port listens Jira?

To answer you other question. Jira works with VPNs - this has nothing to do with Jira. It always depends on the network configuration.

So long

Thomas

[Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_]

Hello, @George Kanchev 

Have you checked network tab in the browser's Developer Tools? The described behaviour resembles a situation where the VPN is blocking some file from loading.

[popaaaandrei]

I have the same problems with NordVPN with multiple servers. The same situation applies to Jira and BitBucket. Very disappointing, and one of the main reasons we are actively investigating moving all the setup to alternatives.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It is the same answer, you need to get the VPN fixed.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Atlassian stuff works fine over a *secure* VPN.  They are never going to try to make it work over an insecure one such as the ones you vaguely suggest.

[Ed Letifov _TechTime - New Zealand_]

@teckel12 I think your ire is misplaced. Nic was replying to a different comment, not from you. Besides, your issue is with Atlassian not with another community member (i.e. a user just like you).

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, my comment was in reply to a post that has been removed, presumably because someone or something identified it as a 'bot.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I found a couple of posts in the spam bin, put there by the robots, I've undelete a couple of them.