Malwarebytes Windows Firewal Control is blocking AirVPN Eddie-UI client from connecting

[Ralf_Reddings 0]

I am trying to get my VPN service up and running on my system but my firewall program just refuses to let it connect.
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The VPN service AirVPN and I am on windows 11. I use  Malwarebytes Windows Firewall Control as my Firewall program, I have my firewall set to always block all Inbound/Outbound connections, unless, I specifically make an exception for a software via a rule.

I have tried "white listing" AirVPNs client, Eddie, by making an "allow" rule for it, when I try to connect to the VPN via Eddie client, it hangs until it times out.

I even tried to allow rules for every file in the "/program files/AirVPN" folder, I still cannot connect, as shown HERE.

The only way I can connect is to set my Firewall to global Firewall rule from "High Filtering" to low "Low Filtering". This defeats the whole point why I got a VPN.

Admittedly, I know next to nothing about networking. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Tech Jedi Alex 1581]

20 hours ago, Ralf_Reddings said:

I have tried "white listing" AirVPNs client, Eddie, by making an "allow" rule for it, when I try to connect to the VPN via Eddie client, it hangs until it times out.

The tricky thing is that Eddie (eddie.exe) does not connect itself. It starts an elevated background process (eddie-elevated.exe) which then calls either openvpn.exe or wg-quick.exe. It looks like Malwarebytes WFC does not take process hierarchy into account, so you need to allow four programs to connect.

[drum 6]

On 9/10/2023 at 10:07 PM, Ralf_Reddings said:

I even tried to allow rules for every file in the "/program files/AirVPN" folder, I still cannot connect, as shown HERE.

Your rules, according to the image, are set to only allow inbound connections, change them to allow Outbound ones.
Main AirVPN exes, as OS commented, that need Outbound rules are eddie-ui.exe and eddie-cli-elevated.exe and probably openvpn exe if you use it.

Also you may set WFC to temporarily "Display Notifications" to notice what programs want to get out and create proper rules for them.

[Tech Jedi Alex 1581]

I'm not an OS, dude.
But I am assuming here that outbound rules exist, too. Screenshots alone never tell the whole story.