GHSA-9969-6676-49h5 - Echo: WebSocket proxy can retain connections and handlers after client disconnect
## Impact
Echo's Proxy middleware could retain a handler, copy goroutines and network connections after a WebSocket client disconnected if the upstream kept its connection open. The raw proxy waited for both copy directions to finish without reliably closing the other connection when one direction ended. Rejected upgrade responses with HTTP keep-alive were one way to trigger this behavior.
Repeated connections can accumulate resources and cause denial of service. The impact depends on the proxy route's accessibility, upstream behavior and configured connection deadlines. This is a medium-severity resource-retention issue; no confidentiality or integrity impact is claimed.
## Affected versions and patch
Affected versions are v4.15.0 through v4.16.0 and v5.0.0 through v5.4.0. The regression was introduced by commit e2133320c7, merged in #2852.
Upgrade to [v4.16.1](https://github.com/labstack/echo/releases/tag/v4.16.1) or [v5.4.1](https://github.com/labstack/echo/releases/tag/v5.4.1). The patch uses Go's HTTP reverse proxy, preserves ordinary HTTP handling for rejected upgrades, and closes both sides of a WebSocket tunnel when either direction ends. It also covers an upstream that receives client EOF but deliberately keeps its side open.
Fix commits: [v4](https://github.com/labstack/echo/commit/3fb0ba7e17645bb65611e2a08875d0a2f65c421f), [v5](https://github.com/labstack/echo/commit/1855061e572ae9dab727c811d8382f266bfbaaec).
## Workarounds
Disable WebSocket proxy routes until upgrading, or apply bounded connection lifetimes and resource limits at the frontend and upstream. Server idle timeouts alone may not cover hijacked WebSocket connections.
## Credits
Reported by @irisitymichaelgrundberg.
HIGH
Severity & confidence
Source severityhigh
Platform severityhigh
Confidencemedium
Exploitationunknown
CVSS-
Affected
Vendorsgithub
Productsgithub.com/labstack/echo/v4github.com/labstack/echo/v5
Reporting sources (1)
GitHub Security Advisories
Timeline & provenance
Published2026-10-23T20:50:17
Last updated2026-10-27T15:37:20
Ingested2026-10-23T20:56:58
FreshnessNEAR-REAL-TIME
Threat typeadvisory
Recommended action
Review the advisory and upgrade affected packages to the first patched version.
Next steps
- Identify affected systems in your environment.
- Apply the vendor patch or mitigation guidance.
- Review logs for indicators described in the advisory.
- Follow the affected vendor/product to track updates.
Confidence explanation
Reported by a single or secondary source; treat as indicative, verify before acting.
Source type: vendor ยท Original: GitHub Security Advisories