NordVPN working from terminal but not from Network Manager

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Erik47

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Hi,
I am running Ubuntu 22.04 and after the latest update/upgrade NordVPN does no longer work from Network Manager, but I can connect from the terminal. Network manager is running and I can select a VPNserver but never get connected after the password. I tried various suggestion found on internet but nothing helped.
Here is a status check of Network Manager with a number of error messages.
Grateful for suggestions
Erik

erik@erik-desktop:~$ systemctl status NetworkManager
● NetworkManager.service - Network Manager
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/NetworkManager.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Thu 2023-07-20 09:54:57 CEST; 21min ago
Docs: man:NetworkManager(8)
Main PID: 773 (NetworkManager)
Tasks: 3 (limit: 18982)
Memory: 13.2M
CPU: 861ms
CGroup: /system.slice/NetworkManager.service
└─773 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon

jul 20 09:59:58 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: NOTE: chroot will be delayed because of --client, --pull, or --up-delay
jul 20 09:59:58 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: NOTE: UID/GID downgrade will be delayed because of --client, --pull, or --up-delay
jul 20 09:59:58 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: WARNING: 'link-mtu' is used inconsistently, local='link-mtu 1604', remote='link-mtu 1636'
jul 20 09:59:58 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: WARNING: 'tun-mtu' is used inconsistently, local='tun-mtu 1500', remote='tun-mtu 1532'
jul 20 09:59:58 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: [de807.nordvpn.com] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]196.240.57.179:443
jul 20 10:00:04 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: AUTH: Received control message: AUTH_FAILED
jul 20 10:00:04 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: SIGUSR1[soft,auth-failure] received, process restarting
jul 20 10:00:13 erik-desktop NetworkManager[773]: <warn> [1689840013.8644] vpn[0x5571d47be660,58264827-4229-43e8-8d06-0c77c66f70c2,"de807.nordvpn>
jul 20 10:00:13 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: ERROR: could not read Auth username/password/ok/string from management interface
jul 20 10:00:13 erik-desktop nm-openvpn[3899]: Exiting due to fatal
 


Run:

nordvpn status
Code: 
nordvpn status

and
nordvpn settings
Code: 
nordvpn settings

and post them please
If you're running from the network manager, I assume you're running nord in open VPN, correct?

Just an FYI

"The NordVPN native application is the recommended option for connecting to NordVPN servers on your Linux device. It grants easy access to features such as Threat Protection, Autoconnect, and automated Kill Switch."
Click to expand...
Which you don't have access to when running OpenVPN
 
Last edited:
After restarting the computer the suggested commands gives this result:

erik@erik-desktop:~$ nordvpn status
Status: Disconnected

erik@erik-desktop:~$ nordvpn settings
Technology: NORDLYNX
Firewall: enabled
Firewall Mark: 0xe1f1
Routing: enabled
Analytics: enabled
Kill Switch: disabled
Threat Protection Lite: disabled
Notify: disabled
Auto-connect: disabled
IPv6: disabled
Meshnet: disabled
DNS: disabled

If I run "nordvpn connect" from the terminal then "nordvpn status" reports details about the connection while "norvpn settings" reports identical as above. But I cannot start a connection from Network Manager although that worked earlier.
 
Sorry, I just saw from your original output that you are running Open VPN thereby negating a few benefits of running NordVPN.
Delete your Open VPN profile, and set it up again.
From your original output it seems to be hanging on authenticating your user name and password.
I would seriously consider running the command line version where you have all your options such as killswitch, auto connect, threat protection, NordLynx, etc.
Cinnamon in all distros has a panel applet to manage the command line function, but I'm not certain what, if any Ubuntu has.
 
Last edited:
Erik47 said:
After restarting the computer the suggested commands gives this result:

erik@erik-desktop:~$ nordvpn status
Status: Disconnected

erik@erik-desktop:~$ nordvpn settings
Technology: NORDLYNX
Firewall: enabled
Firewall Mark: 0xe1f1
Routing: enabled
Analytics: enabled
Kill Switch: disabled
Threat Protection Lite: disabled
Notify: disabled
Auto-connect: disabled
IPv6: disabled
Meshnet: disabled
DNS: disabled

If I run "nordvpn connect" from the terminal then "nordvpn status" reports details about the connection while "norvpn settings" reports identical as above. But I cannot start a connection from Network Manager although that worked earlier.
Click to expand...
What password did you use to connect NordVPN through OpenVPN?
 
xlbooyahlx said:
Let's post that in an open forum lol :D
Click to expand...
Right?????

Nah, what I meant was DON'T use your registration password and username to connect through OpenVPN but the username and password dedicated to "services". To be found in the dashboard)
:D
 
PuppyHome said:
Right?????

Nah, what I meant was DON'T use your registration password and username to connect through OpenVPN but the username and password dedicated to "services". To be found in the dashboard)
:D
Click to expand...
I just reacted to what you posted, not what you meant bro. After all, neither I, and I'm pretty sure the OP can read your mind lol ;)
 
In the Network Manager setup for different servers I use my NordVPN identity and password. To start connecting I use my Ubuntu user password. This worked before
Here are some more clues.
As mentioned I can connect to the default VPN server from terminal with "nordvpn connect"
However, I now tried to reach a specific server from terminal using this command

sudo openvpn /home/erik/Documents/ovpn_tcp/uk1900.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn

The first time I was then prompted for my Ubuntu user password, which was accepted.
Then for the NordVPN identity and password, but no connection was established.

This is how it looked when my Ubuntu user password had already been entered during a previous attempt

erik@erik-desktop:~$ sudo openvpn /home/erik/Documents/ovpn_tcp/uk1900.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn
2023-07-20 21:35:20 DEPRECATED OPTION: --cipher set to 'AES-256-CBC' but missing in --data-ciphers (AES-256-GCM:AES-128-GCM). Future OpenVPN version will ignore --cipher for cipher negotiations. Add 'AES-256-CBC' to --data-ciphers or change --cipher 'AES-256-CBC' to --data-ciphers-fallback 'AES-256-CBC' to silence this warning.
2023-07-20 21:35:20 OpenVPN 2.5.5 x86_64-pc-linux-gnu [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [LZ4] [EPOLL] [PKCS11] [MH/PKTINFO] [AEAD] built on Jul 14 2022
2023-07-20 21:35:20 library versions: OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022, LZO 2.10
Enter Auth Username: xxxxxxx
Enter Auth Password: **********
2023-07-20 21:35:59 WARNING: --ping should normally be used with --ping-restart or --ping-exit
2023-07-20 21:35:59 NOTE: --fast-io is disabled since we are not using UDP
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Outgoing Control Channel Authentication: Using 512 bit message hash 'SHA512' for HMAC authentication
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Incoming Control Channel Authentication: Using 512 bit message hash 'SHA512' for HMAC authentication
2023-07-20 21:35:59 TCP/UDP: Preserving recently used remote address: [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Socket Buffers: R=[131072->131072] S=[16384->16384]
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Attempting to establish TCP connection with [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443 [nonblock]
2023-07-20 21:35:59 TCP connection established with [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443
2023-07-20 21:35:59 TCP_CLIENT link local: (not bound)
2023-07-20 21:35:59 TCP_CLIENT link remote: [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443
2023-07-20 21:35:59 TLS: Initial packet from [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443, sid=6252c89d 7b6159b5
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY OK: depth=2, C=PA, O=NordVPN, CN=NordVPN Root CA
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY OK: depth=1, O=NordVPN, CN=NordVPN CA8
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY KU OK
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Validating certificate extended key usage
2023-07-20 21:35:59 ++ Certificate has EKU (str) TLS Web Server Authentication, expects TLS Web Server Authentication
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY EKU OK
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY X509NAME OK: CN=uk1900.nordvpn.com
2023-07-20 21:35:59 VERIFY OK: depth=0, CN=uk1900.nordvpn.com
2023-07-20 21:35:59 Control Channel: TLSv1.3, cipher TLSv1.3 TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384, peer certificate: 4096 bit RSA, signature: RSA-SHA512
2023-07-20 21:35:59 [uk1900.nordvpn.com] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]178.159.9.211:443
2023-07-20 21:36:00 SENT CONTROL [uk1900.nordvpn.com]: 'PUSH_REQUEST' (status=1)
2023-07-20 21:36:05 SENT CONTROL [uk1900.nordvpn.com]: 'PUSH_REQUEST' (status=1)
2023-07-20 21:36:05 AUTH: Received control message: AUTH_FAILED
2023-07-20 21:36:05 SIGTERM[soft,auth-failure] received, process exiting
erik@erik-desktop:~$
 
Erik47 said:
In the Network Manager setup for different servers I use my NordVPN identity and password.
Click to expand...
That's where things go wrong for you.

Go to the NordVPN website and log in. when logged in on your dashboard look for "set up NordVPN manually" and click that box. (You will be asked to validate your email) and after that a username and password will be shown and that is what you need to use with OpenVPN configuration. The file you choose is right.

Reboot your system and connect to your Nord using Open and it should work.
 
PuppyHome said:
You will be asked to validate your email) and after that a username and password will be shown and that is what you need to use with OpenVPN configuration
Click to expand...
If that's what it is, I'm going to scream!
I guess when I assume that the OP has already done the very first step in connecting to Nord, that's on me :oops:
 
Thank you PuppyHome and xlbooyahlx. With these user names and passwords Network Manager works fine again. They were also accepted when I connected to VPN from terminal with.
sudo openvpn /home/erik/Documents/ovpn_tcp/uk1900.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn
However, in that case "nordvpn d" did not disconnect and "norvpn status" did not recognize the connection.
Anyway I am satisfied that Network Manager works again.
 
Erik47 said:
Thank you PuppyHome and xlbooyahlx. With these user names and passwords Network Manager works fine again. They were also accepted when I connected to VPN from terminal with.
sudo openvpn /home/erik/Documents/ovpn_tcp/uk1900.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn
However, in that case "nordvpn d" did not disconnect and "norvpn status" did not recognize the connection.
Anyway I am satisfied that Network Manager works again.
Click to expand...
The reason you're not getting a response from nordvpn status is you're connecting via OpenVPN, using network manager.
Once again, you might want to consider connecting to it in a manner that gives you all the protection and benefits NordVPN has to offer instead.
HERE are your very simple instructions

“Can I just once again state my love for it [WireGuard] and hope it gets merged soon? Maybe the code isn’t perfect, but I’ve skimmed it, and compared to the horrors that are OpenVPN and IPSec, it’s a work of art.”
— Linus Torvalds, Principal developer of the Linux kernel, August 2018
Click to expand...

;)

https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn/wireguard-vs-openvpn/

"The NordVPN native application is the recommended option for connecting to NordVPN servers on your Linux device. It grants easy access to features such as Threat Protection, Autoconnect, and automated Kill Switch, and Wireguard"
Click to expand...
 
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Thank you for explaining and suggested reading. I am not so experienced in Linux and have mostly been using NordVPN in OSX and iOS with easy-to-use Nord-apps.
 
Erik47 said:
Thank you for explaining and suggested reading. I am not so experienced in Linux and have mostly been using NordVPN in OSX and iOS with easy-to-use Nord-apps.
Click to expand...
It's actally easier to use if you follow the instruction link I posted. It's a "Set it and forget it" solution that will protect you more than using network manager and OpenVPN.
It's all I use on all of my machines and phones here at my home.
Here are my settings for reference:
Code: 
john@PhantomRocket:~$ nordvpn settings
Technology: NORDLYNX
Firewall: enabled
Firewall Mark: 0xe1f1
Routing: enabled
Analytics: enabled
Kill Switch: enabled
Threat Protection Lite: disabled
Notify: enabled
Auto-connect: enabled
IPv6: disabled
Meshnet: disabled
DNS: disabled
john@PhantomRocket:~$
If you have any other questions, just respond to this thread ;)
 
Last edited:
Thanks again. I will try setting it up. However, do I have to enter the rather complicated Nord username and password every time I connect or is it possible to store this information in files for each server of interest. Moreover will there be any indication that I am connected via VPN? With Network Manager VPN is stated in the upper right corner.
 
This Command first:
Code: 
sh <(wget -qO - https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)
After that is all done, reboot
After reboot this command:
Code: 
nordvpn login
This will bring up a link in your terminal. Right click on the link and click "open link".
This will open your browser to login into your Nord Account (which you will only have to do once).
After you've logged into your account your browser will prompt you to allow a link to open...choose "Allow".
After that, this command:
Code: 
nordvpn connect

You can follow that command with a country code such as "us" for united states, and "ca" for canada, etc.
Then this command:
Code: 
nordvpn set autoconnect on
THen this Command:
Code: 
nordvpn set notify on
Everytime you start your computer it will auto log you on, and you'll get a notification telling you so, as you just set auto connect, and auto notify to on.

You can install this Gnome widget "that allows the user to monitor and control the status of the NordVPN connection in the top bar."

And once again please read all of the other settings that you can "set & forget", such as autoconnecting to a specified country and setting up "Killswitch" which kills your connection when disconnected from the vpn, etc., etc.

I'm pretty sure that answered all your questions, and if you have any more, post again.

;)
 
Last edited:
xlbooyahlx said:
This Command first:
Code: 
sh <(wget -qO - https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)
Reboot
After reboot this command:
Code: 
nordvpn login
This will bring up a link in your terminal. Right click on the link and click "open link".
This will open your browser to login into your Nord Account (which you will only have to do once).
After you've logged into your account your browser will prompt you to allow a link to open...choose "Allow".
After that, this command:
Code: 
nordvpn connect

You can follow that command with a country code such as "us" for united states, and "ca" for canada, etc.
Then this command:
Code: 
nordvpn set autoconnect on
THen this Command:
Code: 
nordvpn set notify on
Everytime you start your computer it will auto log you on, and you'll get a notification telling you so, as you just set auto connect, and auto notify to on.

You can install this Gnome widget "that allows the user to monitor and control the status of the NordVPN connection in the top bar."

And once again please read all of the other settings that you can "set & forget", such as autoconnecting to a specified country and setting up "Killswitch" which kills your connection when disconnected from the vpn, etc., etc.

;)
Click to expand...
ADDITION: This is a better way:

**Install with the wget link as posted above.
**Do NOT reboot
**Type: nordvpn login

You will get a message that would tell you there is a "permission issue"
Code: 
 sudo usermod -aG nordvpn $USER
(where $USER is the current user that installed NordVPN just now)

This command will make sure that the current user will is able to actually use NordVPN.

**NOW reboot your system. Login (via terminal of course) with nordvpn login and fill in your registration credentials.

Now you can connect to nordvpn: nordvpn connect "whatever country".

(us =USA, gr = France, se = Sweden and so on)
 
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