Apple Mac and Network Connect VPN eventually breaks

[mparkinson]

Hi All,

I have setup Network Connect (older Pulse Secure client) on my new MacBook Pro El Capitan and it's works OK for a limited time. There is something that triggers it to fail when logging in and out thru the VPN and different wireless connections and then becomes completely unusable.

I can hit the default login page, but then it fails trying to login with error code: ds.mac.app.1003
After this fails, I have issues accessing web pages especially the default www.google.com UNTIL I remove my wifi connection in system preferences and then recreate it.

What I have tried and has been UNSUCCESSFUL:

Uninstalling and re-installing Network Connect
Using I.P address to avoid DNS
Resetting the network wireless connections
Completely uninstalling NC as per article: https://objectpartners.com/2011/12/19/getting-juniper-network-connect-vpn-client-running-on-mac-os-x-10-6/
Running 32Bit mode
Trying to run from a VM (vmware fusion) PC
Running a Mac OSx repair

The only way I fixed this last time was a complete disk wipe and OS reinstall! This then got it working for about 5 days until the issue started again. I'm definitely not keen on wiping my laptop again just to fix this issue!

If anyone has some insight as to how to fix this, please let me know.

[mparkinson]

I just did some more troubleshooting and worked out that as soon as I open Network Connect application and it opens the login page my routes change (and I can no longer ping the Two Factor Authentication I.P address required to login). I also lose access to google / google searches but other sites such as www.bing.com work without issue.

The two differences in the routing are the below:

Destination: 0&0x58 GW: link#4 Flags UCS Refs: 2 Netif: en0
Destination: ec2-54-241-191-167 GW: link#4 Flags UHRLWIi Refs: 1 Use: 18 Netif: en0 Expire: 17

As soon as I close Network Connect and delete/re-add my WiFi stack from Network preferences these disappear and I can access/ping everything again.

Thanks

[zanyterp]

Network Connect is not supported on Mac OS X versions later than 10.8; that you are seeing it run successfully, for any amount of time, on 10.11 is not something we expect to see happen.
Are you able to work with your admin to enable Pulse Secure to make the connections to your VPN?