diff --git a/plugins/in_forward/fw.c b/plugins/in_forward/fw.c
index 52dcba04c83..198ef904049 100644
--- a/plugins/in_forward/fw.c
+++ b/plugins/in_forward/fw.c
@@ -186,6 +186,8 @@ static void in_fw_pause(void *data, struct flb_config *config)
      */
     if (config->is_ingestion_active == FLB_FALSE) {
         mk_event_closesocket(ctx->server_fd);
+        fw_conn_del_all(ctx);
+
     }
 }
 
@@ -197,11 +199,11 @@ static int in_fw_exit(void *data, struct flb_config *config)
     struct flb_in_fw_config *ctx = data;
     struct fw_conn *conn;
 
-    mk_list_foreach_safe(head, tmp, &ctx->connections) {
-        conn = mk_list_entry(head, struct fw_conn, _head);
-        fw_conn_del(conn);
+    if (!ctx) {
+        return 0;
     }
 
+    fw_conn_del_all(ctx);
     fw_config_destroy(ctx);
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.c b/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.c
index 851b5d7fd76..b8711a5d31a 100644
--- a/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.c
+++ b/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.c
@@ -161,3 +161,17 @@ int fw_conn_del(struct fw_conn *conn)
 
     return 0;
 }
+
+int fw_conn_del_all(struct flb_in_fw_config *ctx)
+{
+    struct mk_list *tmp;
+    struct mk_list *head;
+    struct fw_conn *conn;
+
+    mk_list_foreach_safe(head, tmp, &ctx->connections) {
+        conn = mk_list_entry(head, struct fw_conn, _head);
+        fw_conn_del(conn);
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.h b/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.h
index c89da9669b0..c3c8cf4ad63 100644
--- a/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.h
+++ b/plugins/in_forward/fw_conn.h
@@ -54,5 +54,6 @@ struct fw_conn {
 
 struct fw_conn *fw_conn_add(int fd, struct flb_in_fw_config *ctx);
 int fw_conn_del(struct fw_conn *conn);
+int fw_conn_del_all(struct flb_in_fw_config *ctx);
 
 #endif