diff --git a/libp2p/muxers/mplex/mplex.nim b/libp2p/muxers/mplex/mplex.nim
index ef0b612..f0f677b 100644
--- a/libp2p/muxers/mplex/mplex.nim
+++ b/libp2p/muxers/mplex/mplex.nim
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ proc newStreamInternal*(m: Mplex,
 
   result.peerInfo = m.connection.peerInfo
   result.observedAddr = m.connection.observedAddr
+  result.transportDir = m.connection.transportDir
 
   trace "Creating new channel", m, channel = result, id, initiator, name
 
diff --git a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/behavior.nim b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/behavior.nim
index d810c19..2e431c9 100644
--- a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/behavior.nim
+++ b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/behavior.nim
@@ -173,7 +173,15 @@ proc handlePrune*(g: GossipSub, peer: PubSubPeer, prunes: seq[ControlPrune]) =
     # add peer backoff
     if prune.backoff > 0:
       let
-        backoff = Moment.fromNow((prune.backoff + BackoffSlackTime).int64.seconds)
+        # avoid overflows and follow params
+        # worst case if the remote thinks we are wrong we get penalized
+        # but we won't end up with ghost peers
+        backoffSeconds = clamp(
+          prune.backoff + BackoffSlackTime,
+          0'u64,
+          g.parameters.pruneBackoff.seconds.uint64 + BackoffSlackTime
+        )
+        backoff = Moment.fromNow(backoffSeconds.int64.seconds)
         current = g.backingOff.getOrDefault(topic).getOrDefault(peer.peerId)
       if backoff > current:
         g.backingOff
diff --git a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsub.nim b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsub.nim
index ac13675..f8ee577 100644
--- a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsub.nim
+++ b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsub.nim
@@ -274,11 +274,21 @@ proc getOrCreatePeer*(
   proc getConn(): Future[Connection] =
     p.switch.dial(peer, protos)
 
+  proc dropConn(peer: PubSubPeer) =
+    proc dropConnAsync(peer: PubsubPeer) {.async.} =
+      try:
+        await p.switch.disconnect(peer.peerId)
+      except CancelledError:
+        raise
+      except CatchableError as exc:
+        trace "Failed to close connection", peer, error = exc.name, msg = exc.msg
+    asyncSpawn dropConnAsync(peer)
+
   proc onEvent(peer: PubsubPeer, event: PubsubPeerEvent) {.gcsafe.} =
     p.onPubSubPeerEvent(peer, event)
 
   # create new pubsub peer
-  let pubSubPeer = newPubSubPeer(peer, getConn, onEvent, protos[0])
+  let pubSubPeer = newPubSubPeer(peer, getConn, dropConn, onEvent, protos[0])
   debug "created new pubsub peer", peer
 
   p.peers[peer] = pubSubPeer
diff --git a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsubpeer.nim b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsubpeer.nim
index 19c9b38..e52bc82 100644
--- a/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsubpeer.nim
+++ b/libp2p/protocols/pubsub/pubsubpeer.nim
@@ -41,10 +41,12 @@ type
     kind*: PubSubPeerEventKind
 
   GetConn* = proc(): Future[Connection] {.gcsafe.}
+  DropConn* = proc(peer: PubsubPeer) {.gcsafe.} # have to pass peer as it's unknown during init
   OnEvent* = proc(peer: PubSubPeer, event: PubsubPeerEvent) {.gcsafe.}
 
   PubSubPeer* = ref object of RootObj
     getConn*: GetConn                   # callback to establish a new send connection
+    dropConn*: DropConn                 # Function pointer to use to drop connections
     onEvent*: OnEvent                   # Connectivity updates for peer
     codec*: string                      # the protocol that this peer joined from
     sendConn*: Connection               # cached send connection
@@ -83,7 +85,11 @@ proc hasObservers(p: PubSubPeer): bool =
   p.observers != nil and anyIt(p.observers[], it != nil)
 
 func outbound*(p: PubSubPeer): bool =
-  if p.connected and p.sendConn.dir == Direction.Out:
+  # gossipsub 1.1 spec requires us to know if the transport is outgoing
+  # in order to give priotity to connections we make
+  # https://github.com/libp2p/specs/blob/master/pubsub/gossipsub/gossipsub-v1.1.md#outbound-mesh-quotas
+  # This behaviour is presrcibed to counter sybil attacks and ensures that a coordinated inbound attack can never fully take over the mesh
+  if not p.sendConn.isNil and p.sendConn.transportDir == Direction.Out:
     true
   else:
     false
@@ -169,18 +175,18 @@ proc connectOnce(p: PubSubPeer): Future[void] {.async.} =
   finally:
     if p.sendConn != nil:
       trace "Removing send connection", p, conn = p.sendConn
-
       await p.sendConn.close()
-
-      try:
-        if p.onEvent != nil:
-          p.onEvent(p, PubsubPeerEvent(kind: PubSubPeerEventKind.Disconnected))
-      except CancelledError as exc:
-        debug "Errors during diconnection events", error = exc.msg
-
-      # clean up at the end
       p.sendConn = nil
-      # don't cleanup p.address else we leak some gossip stat table
+
+    try:
+      if p.onEvent != nil:
+        p.onEvent(p, PubsubPeerEvent(kind: PubSubPeerEventKind.Disconnected))
+    except CancelledError:
+      raise
+    except CatchableError as exc:
+      debug "Errors during diconnection events", error = exc.msg
+
+    # don't cleanup p.address else we leak some gossip stat table
 
 proc connectImpl(p: PubSubPeer) {.async.} =
   try:
@@ -189,9 +195,13 @@ proc connectImpl(p: PubSubPeer) {.async.} =
     # issue so we try to get a new on
     while true:
       await connectOnce(p)
-
+  except CancelledError:
+    raise
   except CatchableError as exc:
     debug "Could not establish send connection", msg = exc.msg
+  finally:
+    # drop the connection, else we end up with ghost peers
+    if p.dropConn != nil: p.dropConn(p)
 
 proc connect*(p: PubSubPeer) =
   asyncSpawn connectImpl(p)
@@ -255,10 +265,12 @@ proc send*(p: PubSubPeer, msg: RPCMsg, anonymize: bool) =
 
 proc newPubSubPeer*(peerId: PeerID,
                     getConn: GetConn,
+                    dropConn: DropConn,
                     onEvent: OnEvent,
                     codec: string): PubSubPeer =
   PubSubPeer(
     getConn: getConn,
+    dropConn: dropConn,
     onEvent: onEvent,
     codec: codec,
     peerId: peerId,
diff --git a/libp2p/protocols/secure/secure.nim b/libp2p/protocols/secure/secure.nim
index 1a47b00..0dc6bc1 100644
--- a/libp2p/protocols/secure/secure.nim
+++ b/libp2p/protocols/secure/secure.nim
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ proc handleConn(s: Secure,
                  conn: Connection,
                  initiator: bool): Future[Connection] {.async.} =
   var sconn = await s.handshake(conn, initiator)
+  # mark connection bottom level transport direction
+  # this is the safest place to do this
+  # we require this information in for example gossipsub
+  sconn.transportDir = if initiator: Direction.Out else: Direction.In
 
   proc cleanup() {.async.} =
     try:
diff --git a/libp2p/stream/connection.nim b/libp2p/stream/connection.nim
index 27a287d..ba888c9 100644
--- a/libp2p/stream/connection.nim
+++ b/libp2p/stream/connection.nim
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ type
     peerInfo*: PeerInfo
     observedAddr*: Multiaddress
     upgraded*: Future[void]
+    transportDir*: Direction        # The bottom level transport (generally the socket) direction
 
 proc timeoutMonitor(s: Connection) {.async, gcsafe.}
 
diff --git a/libp2p/switch.nim b/libp2p/switch.nim
index faf7a15..97ededb 100644
--- a/libp2p/switch.nim
+++ b/libp2p/switch.nim
@@ -136,6 +136,10 @@ proc dialAndUpgrade(s: Switch,
         # make sure to assign the peer to the connection
         dialed.peerInfo = PeerInfo.init(peerId, addrs)
 
+        # also keep track of the connection's bottom unsafe transport direction
+        # required by gossipsub scoring
+        dialed.transportDir = Direction.Out
+
         libp2p_successful_dials.inc()
 
         let conn = try:
@@ -334,6 +338,11 @@ proc accept(s: Switch, transport: Transport) {.async.} = # noraises
         upgrades.release()
         continue
 
+      # set the direction of this bottom level transport
+      # in order to be able to consume this information in gossipsub if required
+      # gossipsub gives priority to connections we make
+      conn.transportDir = Direction.In
+
       debug "Accepted an incoming connection", conn
       asyncSpawn upgradeMonitor(conn, upgrades)
       asyncSpawn s.upgrade.upgradeIncoming(conn)
diff --git a/tests/pubsub/testgossipinternal.nim b/tests/pubsub/testgossipinternal.nim
index b5bc5ee..81779d1 100644
--- a/tests/pubsub/testgossipinternal.nim
+++ b/tests/pubsub/testgossipinternal.nim
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ proc getPubSubPeer(p: TestGossipSub, peerId: PeerID): auto =
   proc getConn(): Future[Connection] =
     p.switch.dial(peerId, GossipSubCodec)
 
-  newPubSubPeer(peerId, getConn, nil, GossipSubCodec)
+  proc dropConn(peer: PubSubPeer) =
+    discard # we don't care about it here yet
+
+  newPubSubPeer(peerId, getConn, dropConn, nil, GossipSubCodec)
 
 proc randomPeerInfo(): PeerInfo =
   PeerInfo.init(PrivateKey.random(ECDSA, rng[]).get())
@@ -591,7 +594,7 @@ suite "GossipSub internal":
     gossipSub.gossipsub[topic] = initHashSet[PubSubPeer]()
     for i in 0..<6:
       let conn = newBufferStream(noop)
-      conn.dir = Direction.In
+      conn.transportDir = Direction.In
       conns &= conn
       let peerInfo = PeerInfo.init(PrivateKey.random(ECDSA, rng[]).get())
       conn.peerInfo = peerInfo
@@ -605,7 +608,7 @@ suite "GossipSub internal":
 
     for i in 0..<7:
       let conn = newBufferStream(noop)
-      conn.dir = Direction.Out
+      conn.transportDir = Direction.Out
       conns &= conn
       let peerInfo = PeerInfo.init(PrivateKey.random(ECDSA, rng[]).get())
       conn.peerInfo = peerInfo
@@ -623,7 +626,7 @@ suite "GossipSub internal":
     check gossipSub.mesh[topic].len > gossipSub.parameters.dLow
     var outbound = 0
     for peer in gossipSub.mesh[topic]:
-      if peer.sendConn.dir == Direction.Out:
+      if peer.sendConn.transportDir == Direction.Out:
         inc outbound
     # ensure we give priority and keep at least dOut outbound peers
     check outbound >= gossipSub.parameters.dOut