diff --git a/__tests__/http-client-timeout.test.ts b/__tests__/http-client-timeout.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e63e5b27c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/http-client-timeout.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import {afterEach, describe, expect, it} from '@jest/globals';
+import {HttpClient} from '@actions/http-client';
+import net, {AddressInfo, Server, Socket} from 'node:net';
+
+describe('@actions/http-client timeout cleanup', () => {
+  let server: Server | undefined;
+  const sockets = new Set<Socket>();
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    for (const socket of sockets) {
+      socket.destroy();
+    }
+    sockets.clear();
+    if (server) {
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        server?.close(error => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+      });
+      server = undefined;
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('destroys a request whose socket times out', async () => {
+    server = net.createServer({allowHalfOpen: true}, socket => {
+      sockets.add(socket);
+      socket.on('data', () => undefined);
+      socket.on('close', () => sockets.delete(socket));
+    });
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+      server?.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', () => resolve());
+      server?.once('error', reject);
+    });
+
+    const {port} = server.address() as AddressInfo;
+    const client = new HttpClient('setup-java-timeout-test', [], {
+      socketTimeout: 50
+    });
+
+    await expect(client.get(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/jdk`)).rejects.toThrow(
+      'Request timeout: /jdk'
+    );
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 250));
+    const activeHandles = (
+      process as typeof process & {
+        _getActiveHandles(): unknown[];
+      }
+    )._getActiveHandles();
+    const openClientSockets = activeHandles.filter(
+      (handle): handle is Socket =>
+        handle instanceof Socket &&
+        handle.remotePort === port &&
+        !handle.destroyed
+    );
+    expect(openClientSockets).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/dist/cleanup/index.js b/dist/cleanup/index.js
index 03ab6fe1f..4c15c6a4f 100644
--- a/dist/cleanup/index.js
+++ b/dist/cleanup/index.js
@@ -34202,10 +34202,9 @@ class HttpClient {
         });
         // If we ever get disconnected, we want the socket to timeout eventually
         req.setTimeout(this._socketTimeout || 3 * 60000, () => {
-            if (socket) {
-                socket.end();
-            }
-            handleResult(new Error(`Request timeout: ${info.options.path}`));
+            const timeoutError = new Error(`Request timeout: ${info.options.path}`);
+            req.destroy(timeoutError);
+            handleResult(timeoutError);
         });
         req.on('error', function (err) {
             // err has statusCode property
diff --git a/dist/setup/index.js b/dist/setup/index.js
index 5c0536646..91d60c2a6 100644
--- a/dist/setup/index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/index.js
@@ -34679,10 +34679,9 @@ class HttpClient {
         });
         // If we ever get disconnected, we want the socket to timeout eventually
         req.setTimeout(this._socketTimeout || 3 * 60000, () => {
-            if (socket) {
-                socket.end();
-            }
-            handleResult(new Error(`Request timeout: ${info.options.path}`));
+            const timeoutError = new Error(`Request timeout: ${info.options.path}`);
+            req.destroy(timeoutError);
+            handleResult(timeoutError);
         });
         req.on('error', function (err) {
             // err has statusCode property
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 500787181..cc88f6a94 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     "node": ">=24.0.0"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "node scripts/patch-is-unsafe.mjs && ncc build -o dist/setup src/setup-java.ts && ncc build -o dist/cleanup src/cleanup-java.ts",
+    "build": "node scripts/patch-is-unsafe.mjs && node scripts/patch-http-client-timeout.mjs && ncc build -o dist/setup src/setup-java.ts && ncc build -o dist/cleanup src/cleanup-java.ts",
     "format": "prettier --no-error-on-unmatched-pattern --write \"**/*.{ts,yml,yaml}\"",
     "format-check": "prettier --no-error-on-unmatched-pattern --check \"**/*.{ts,yml,yaml}\"",
     "lint": "eslint \"**/*.ts\"",
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     "prepare": "husky install",
     "prerelease": "npm run-script build",
     "release": "git add -f dist/setup/*.js dist/setup/package.json dist/cleanup/*.js",
+    "pretest": "node scripts/patch-http-client-timeout.mjs",
     "test": "node --experimental-vm-modules ./node_modules/jest/bin/jest.js --runInBand --coverage"
   },
   "lint-staged": {
diff --git a/scripts/patch-http-client-timeout.mjs b/scripts/patch-http-client-timeout.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f51c3a57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/patch-http-client-timeout.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import {readFile, writeFile} from 'node:fs/promises';
+
+const sourcePath = new URL(
+  '../node_modules/@actions/http-client/lib/index.js',
+  import.meta.url
+);
+const vulnerablePattern = `req.setTimeout(this._socketTimeout || 3 * 60000, () => {
+            if (socket) {
+                socket.end();
+            }
+            handleResult(new Error(\`Request timeout: \${info.options.path}\`));
+        });`;
+const safePattern = `req.setTimeout(this._socketTimeout || 3 * 60000, () => {
+            const timeoutError = new Error(\`Request timeout: \${info.options.path}\`);
+            req.destroy(timeoutError);
+            handleResult(timeoutError);
+        });`;
+const source = await readFile(sourcePath, 'utf8');
+
+if (source.includes(safePattern)) {
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+const occurrences = source.split(vulnerablePattern).length - 1;
+if (occurrences !== 1) {
+  throw new Error(
+    `Expected one vulnerable timeout handler in ${sourcePath.pathname}, found ${occurrences}`
+  );
+}
+
+await writeFile(sourcePath, source.replace(vulnerablePattern, safePattern));