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#1
Using 2FA to verify a Visa online transaction cuts off the Internet
I have had this problem for months. In my country and with my bank, many online transactions made with a Visa credit card must comply with the Verified by Visa system, which adds a 2FA step on top of the card number and CVV number.
A one-time code is transmitted by vocal message through a designated phone number (landline, in my case), and typing it in the Verified by Visa window is the last required authorisation step.
This has worked for me flawlessly for months, until at some point, my Internet connection began to cut off when I clicked OK in the Verified by Visa window, after typing the 2FA code.
Attempted workarounds which failed :
- Using a different browser (Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, Chrome, Internet Explorer 11).
- Changing antivirus. Formerly : Avast Free, now Microsoft Security Essentials. Also installed : IBM Trusteer Rapport (specific to banking, recommended by my bank), Microsoft EMET.
- Reducing security level in the browser. Such as : deactivating uMatrix, selecting less secure options in Settings. At one point, I thought I found the culprit : in Firefox, changing Options / Privacy & Security / Block Dangerous & Deceptive Content from Yes to No allowed the transaction to go through. Ditto in Opera, with Protect me from Malicious Sites set to No. However, after a brief period, the connection started cutting off again.
- Deactivating Microsoft Firewall.
- Asking my bank technical hotline (they can't figure it out).
Disconnection also happens when I attempt to use the one-time credit card numbers application provided by Visa and my bank. In this case, the Verified by Visa system kicks in just after login (username + password), so I can't even launch the program.
Most of the time, the disconnection, after OK'ing Verified by Visa, would happen across the board. No other site could be reached. However, in some rare cases, only the connection between the specific banking site used at the time by the application was broken, and other sites could be browsed normally.
Possibly related trouble :
My Internet connection periodically cuts off without any obvious cause. This might happen once a day, or every other day. The Windows icon monitoring the connection, in the System Tray (see attachment), switches from the "on" state to the "problem" state (warning black and yellow sign, with exclamation mark).
At that point, the connection is reset successfully by one of the following means :
Running Windows Network Diagnostics (run as admin). Either it finds a DNS issue, or it does not find anything. In both cases, despite no repairs being applied, just closing the Diagnostics box reopens the connection.
Sometimes, this would not work, and I would need to switch the router off, and on again. I some cases, Windows Network Diagnostics would still need to be run after this, and then the connection would be back again.
I'm using my own router, TP-Link TD-W 8960 N, through Ethernet. I'm supposed to use my ISP specific "box" instead, but I replaced it after many years when my connection failed, and I was told I would have to rent an expensive new box. I prefer the (unsupported by my ISP) TP-Link, because it's a one-time expenditure, and it gives me much greater control.
I'm at the end of my wits, and any help would be greatly appreciated.