eBPF Security: Top 5 Use Cases, Challenges and Best Practices

What Is eBPF?

eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is a revolutionary technology built into the Linux kernel that enables the safe and efficient execution of custom programs directly within the kernel space. By allowing dynamic, runtime behavior changes without requiring kernel code modification, eBPF provides unprecedented flexibility for tasks like system monitoring, networking, and security.

Initially developed for packet filtering, eBPF has evolved into a general-purpose virtual machine within the Linux kernel. It enables developers to attach programs to various kernel hooks or user-space probes, offering granular insights and control over system operations. This versatility makes eBPF a powerful tool for optimizing system performance and enhancing security, all while maintaining minimal resource overhead.

This is part of a series of articles about open source security.

Top 5 Use Cases of eBPF in Security 

eBPF's versatility makes it suitable for numerous security applications, significantly enhancing visibility and control. Its integration in network security monitoring enables detailed packet inspection and real-time threat detection.

1. Network Security Monitoring

Network security monitoring with eBPF involves deep packet inspection and traffic filtering, achieved with minimal overhead. By analyzing packet metadata and contents in real-time, eBPF detects irregular patterns that may point to DDoS attacks, unauthorized access, or data exfiltration attempts. This capability is crucial for maintaining network security.

Additionally, eBPF allows for the customization of monitoring strategies to address specific threats pertinent to an organization's environment. Its ability to integrate into SDN (software defined networking) environments also adds a layer of dynamic defense, allowing network administrators to implement rapid policy changes in response to evolving threat scenarios.

2. Application Layer Security

In the application layer, eBPF enhances security by offering precise control over internal processes and system calls. This control enables developers to enforce security policies that prevent unauthorized access to critical resources. eBPF can help monitor inter-process communications and check application behavior at runtime, safeguarding against potential exploitation of vulnerabilities.

By integrating eBPF, applications can benefit from real-time logging and analysis, enabling rapid detection of suspicious activities like attempts to access or transfer sensitive data. These insights are pivotal for defining strategic responses to application-level threats, thereby strengthening the overall security posture.

3. Intrusion Detection and Prevention

eBPF simplifies the intrusion detection and prevention process by providing real-time system monitoring capabilities directly at the kernel level. This means threats can be detected and blocked faster than traditional methods. Intrusion prevention systems leveraging eBPF can intercept malicious actions before they impact the system.

eBPF can help adapt defense mechanisms to new threats. By continuously analyzing system activities and updating policies in response, eBPF-based systems provide an evolving security posture.

4. Malware Analysis

eBPF is valuable in malware analysis by facilitating dynamic tracking of code execution paths in the kernel. This is crucial in understanding malicious behavior patterns and identifying infection vectors. eBPF enables correlating system events and detecting anomalies that typical anti-virus measures might overlook.

Through eBPF, security professionals can gain insights into how malware interacts with the system, helping to construct countermeasures. This enhances the capability to reverse engineer malicious code and develop targeted patches or mitigations.

5. Scaling Runtime Security 

eBPF offers a scalable solution for runtime security by enabling lightweight, real-time monitoring of system and application behavior directly within the Linux kernel. By attaching programs to kernel hooks, eBPF provides granular visibility into file I/O, network events, and inter-process communications without modifying kernel code or introducing instability. 

Unlike user-space probes, which offer deep insights but impose significant performance costs due to frequent context switches, kernel probes deliver efficient monitoring with minimal overhead. Recent advancements in eBPF have even enabled access to managed runtime environments, allowing detailed application-level visibility in languages like Python, JavaScript, and Go.

This combination of performance and adaptability makes eBPF a powerful tool for real-time threat detection and mitigation. Security teams can leverage eBPF to identify anomalies, intercept malicious actions, and adjust defenses dynamically to evolving threats. By achieving deep insights into system and application activity while maintaining efficiency, eBPF empowers organizations to scale their runtime security in complex, high-performance environments.

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Related content: Read our guide to open source vulnerability scanner (coming soon)

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Challenges and Limitations of eBPF in Security

While eBPF offers substantial benefits in security monitoring and threat detection, it also comes with notable challenges and limitations.

Complexity of Development and Maintenance

Developing eBPF programs requires a deep understanding of both kernel-level programming and the intricacies of eBPF itself. Writing safe and efficient eBPF code can be complex, as developers must navigate kernel internals and consider potential performance impacts.

Compatibility and Kernel Dependency

eBPF’s functionality and capabilities are highly dependent on the kernel version. This can lead to compatibility issues, especially in environments with a mix of Linux kernel versions. Organizations with legacy systems or those using custom kernels may face limitations or lack certain eBPF features, impacting their security strategy. Ensuring cross-version compatibility or migrating older systems can introduce additional operational costs.

Resource Constraints and Performance Overhead 

Although eBPF is designed for efficiency, it still consumes system resources when running multiple, complex programs. In resource-constrained environments, extensive use of eBPF can lead to performance degradation. This is particularly true for systems with high traffic volume or extensive monitoring requirements, where eBPF may introduce additional CPU or memory overhead.

Security Risks in eBPF Program Mismanagement

Poorly managed eBPF programs can introduce security vulnerabilities rather than mitigating them. For example, if access permissions are not tightly controlled, an attacker could potentially inject or alter eBPF programs to bypass existing security controls. Ensuring strict access control and program verification is crucial, as any misconfiguration can compromise system security.

Limited Debugging and Observability Tools

Debugging eBPF programs can be difficult, as they run within the kernel and have limited access to traditional debugging tools. Although some debugging tools exist, they are still less mature compared to those available for user-space applications. This makes identifying and resolving issues more challenging, especially when diagnosing performance bottlenecks or security-related faults within eBPF programs.

Potential for Misuse and Evasion

Advanced attackers may attempt to misuse eBPF by injecting malicious eBPF programs or using it to hide malicious activities. Attackers with kernel-level access could manipulate eBPF for purposes like data exfiltration or concealing malware activity. Thus, while eBPF enhances security for defenders, it can also be exploited if security around eBPF program management is not rigorously enforced.

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Best Practices for Leverage eBPF for Securing Systems 

Enforce Security Policies with eBPF

eBPF enables the creation and enforcement of dynamic, fine-grained security policies that operate directly within the kernel. For example:

• Restricting System Calls: Use eBPF to monitor and restrict high-risk system calls (e.g., execve, ptrace) to specific processes or conditions. This prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities via unauthorized system calls.
• File System Controls: Apply eBPF programs to detect and block unauthorized file access, such as attempts to read sensitive configuration files or overwrite binaries.
• Network Policy Enforcement: eBPF can inspect and enforce network policies at the packet level. For instance, administrators can block traffic based on IP, protocol, or application-layer signatures in real time.

Develop Small, Focused eBPF Programs

Keeping eBPF programs modular is critical for maintainability, performance, and security. Each eBPF program should focus on a single task or closely related set of tasks. 

For example, create one program to monitor system calls and another to inspect network packets instead of combining both into a single program. Use eBPF maps to share data between programs when necessary, rather than embedding multiple unrelated functionalities in the same program.

This modularity simplifies debugging, testing, and updating individual components without affecting the entire monitoring or security stack. Additionally, modular programs are less likely to introduce bugs or performance bottlenecks.

Integrate eBPF with Existing Security Tools

To maximize its potential, eBPF should be integrated with an organization’s broader security ecosystem. Examples of effective integrations include:

• SIEM Platforms: eBPF can provide low-latency, high-volume data on system and network events, feeding SIEM tools with detailed logs for correlation and threat analysis.
• Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS): By using eBPF to monitor kernel-level activities, IDS/IPS tools can gain deeper visibility into events such as privilege escalation attempts or malware execution paths.
• Forensic Tools: During incident investigations, eBPF programs can be deployed to gather specific metrics or traces without the need for kernel recompilation, offering high-granularity insights into malicious behaviors.

Additionally, automated orchestration tools can be integrated with eBPF to enforce dynamic policies. For instance, if a SIEM detects suspicious activity, it can trigger eBPF to block traffic or restrict process behaviors in real time.

Enhancing Security with eBPF

Modern applications face growing security challenges—from zero-day attacks to runtime vulnerabilities. Oligo Security addresses these challenges by leveraging eBPF technology for scalable, real-time protection that delivers deep visibility and proactive threat detection without impacting performance.

Top Use Cases

• Real-Time Threat Detection: Identifies and blocks malicious activity by monitoring kernel-level events, reducing detection time and improving accuracy.
• Application Security Policies: Enforces system call restrictions to protect sensitive resources and prevent unauthorized access.
• Intrusion Prevention: Detects runtime anomalies and responds dynamically to emerging threats, minimizing response times.
• Malware Monitoring: Tracks execution patterns to uncover suspicious behavior and prevent attacks, enhancing detection capabilities.
• Vulnerability Prioritization with Focus: Leverages runtime insights to prioritize vulnerabilities based on real exploitability and business impact, ensuring teams focus on the most critical threats while reducing remediation cycles.

Key Benefits

• Simplified Deployment: Prebuilt policies streamline implementation and reduce complexity, accelerating time-to-value.
• Low Overhead: Lightweight monitoring ensures minimal performance impact, even in dynamic environments with high traffic volumes.
• Secure by Design: Strict access controls and validation prevent unauthorized modifications and ensure program integrity.

Why Oligo?

Oligo combines eBPF-driven insights with tools like Oligo ADR and Oligo Focus to prioritize vulnerabilities and address threats efficiently. By integrating with existing workflows, Oligo helps teams eliminate blind spots, streamline security operations, and focus on what matters most.

Ready to secure your applications with eBPF? Schedule a demo today to see how Oligo eliminates blind spots and streamlines security operations.