diff --git a/nselib/brute.lua b/nselib/brute.lua
index d1e8fcdb5..f50f19986 100644
--- a/nselib/brute.lua
+++ b/nselib/brute.lua
@@ -1465,6 +1465,17 @@ Iterators = {
 
 }
 
+-- These functions all return a boolean and an error (or result)
+-- and should all be wrapped in order to check status of the engine.
+checkwrap = {
+  connect = true,
+  send = true,
+  receive = true,
+  receive_lines = true,
+  receive_buf = true,
+  receive_bytes = true,
+}
+
 -- A socket wrapper class.
 -- Instances of this class can be treated as regular sockets.
 -- This wrapper is used to relay connection errors to the corresponding Engine
@@ -1476,20 +1487,29 @@ BruteSocket = {
     }
     setmetatable(o, self)
 
-    self.__index = function (table, key)
-      if self[key] then
-        return self[key]
-      elseif o.socket[key] then
-        if type(o.socket[key]) == "function" then
-          return function (self, ...)
-            return o.socket[key](o.socket, ...)
-          end
-        else
-          return o.socket[key]
+    self.__index = function (instance, key)
+      local f = rawget(self, key)
+      if f then
+        -- BruteSocket function
+        return f
+      else
+        -- something provided by NSE socket
+        f = instance.socket[key]
+      end
+      -- Check if it should be wrapped with a checkStatus call
+      if checkwrap[key] then
+        return function(s, ...)
+          local status, err = f(instance.socket, ...)
+          instance:checkStatus(status, err)
+          return status, err
+        end
+      elseif type(f) == "function" then
+        -- not wrapped? call the function on the underlying socket
+        return function (s, ...)
+          return f(instance.socket, ...)
         end
       end
-
-      return nil
+      return f
     end
 
     o.socket = nmap.new_socket()
@@ -1521,31 +1541,6 @@ BruteSocket = {
       thread_data.con_error_reason = err
     end
   end,
-
-  connect = function (self, host, port)
-    local status, err = self.socket:connect(host, port)
-    self:checkStatus(status, err)
-
-    return status, err
-  end,
-
-  send = function (self, data)
-    local status, err = self.socket:send(data)
-    self:checkStatus(status, err)
-
-    return status, err
-  end,
-
-  receive = function (self)
-    local status, data = self.socket:receive()
-    self:checkStatus(status, data)
-
-    return status, data
-  end,
-
-  close = function (self)
-    self.socket:close()
-  end,
 }
 
 function new_socket ()