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eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is a Linux kernel technology that acts as a lightweight runtime security agent. It provides real time visibility and control by tracing system calls, monitoring network flows, and powering Kubernetes sensors. Security teams use eBPF to prioritize vulnerabilities, detect attacks, and enforce protections in modern cloud environments.

What is eBPF?

eBPF, short for extended Berkeley Packet Filter, is a Linux kernel technology that allows small programs to run safely inside the operating system kernel. Originally designed for network packet filtering, eBPF has evolved into a general-purpose framework for observability, networking, and security.

Instead of installing Linux kernel modules or deploying agents that rely on significant CPU and memory. Organizations can use eBPF to gain real-time visibility and control at runtime with less overhead and resource usage (= lower cost). An eBPF agent is also deployed as a daemon process or as a DaemonSet in K8s environments. Its ability to safely extend kernel behavior has made it one of the most important innovations in cloud-native and container security.

How Does eBPF Work?

At its core, eBPF attaches tiny, sandboxed programs to hooks inside the Linux kernel. These hooks can monitor system calls, trace functions, capture network traffic, or enforce security rules.

Key design points include:

Sandboxed safety: Before any eBPF program is loaded, it is checked by an eBPF verifier to ensure there are no unsafe operations.
Efficient execution: The code is compiled into machine instructions using a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, so it runs at near-native speed.
Kernel integration: Once verified, the eBPF program can run inside the kernel and respond instantly to events such as process creation, file access, or network packets.

This combination of safety and performance allows companies to deploy powerful runtime controls without the traditional risk of kernel crashes or slowdowns.

Why is eBPF Important in Modern Security?

Modern applications are distributed across containers, microservices, and cloud environments. Traditional security tools often rely on heavy instrumentation or external agents that can potentially slow down production systems or provide limited visibility.

eBPF changes this model by acting as a lightweight runtime agent. It delivers:

Visibility: Monitor process, file, and network behavior without needing to inject code into every container.
Speed: Operate at the kernel level, enabling real-time detection and enforcement.
Portability: Widely supported in modern Linux kernels, making it ideal for Kubernetes and containerized deployments.

In short, eBPF enables a level of runtime observability and control that wasn’t practical before.

How Do Companies Use eBPF for Runtime Security?

Organizations adopt eBPF to strengthen their runtime security posture in several ways:

Syscall Tracing

eBPF can trace security-significant system calls and other Linux kernel execution paths in real time, giving defenders a clear view into how applications interact with the operating system. By monitoring patterns such as unexpected file access or privilege escalation attempts, teams can spot suspicious behavior early. This provides a lightweight way to detect anomalies without intrusive agents and avoids relying solely on syscall-only tracing approaches that may be susceptible to TOCTOU-style attacks.

Vulnerability Reachability

Not every vulnerability flagged in code scanning is actually exploitable at runtime. With eBPF, security teams can trace whether specific code paths are ever reached during execution. This helps prioritize remediation efforts, focusing resources on vulnerabilities that matter most in live environments.

Network Monitoring

eBPF makes it possible to observe network activity at the process level, linking flows to the exact applications generating them. Security teams can track which containers or services are communicating and enforce policies in real time. This visibility helps detect unauthorized connections and lateral movement attempts.

Container and Kubernetes Defense

In modern clusters, eBPF is used to power runtime sensors that monitor container and pod behavior without injecting code. These sensors provide consistent visibility across Kubernetes environments, making it easier to enforce security policies at scale. By running in the kernel, these sensors operate differently from traditional agents or sidecars that rely solely on user-space instrumentation. eBPF-based agents collect telemetry directly in the kernel with far less overhead, while user-space agents depend on heavier processes, polling loops, or injected code...

Real-Time Response

Because eBPF programs run in the kernel, they can not only detect but also block malicious activity in near-real-time. This allows defenders to stop suspicious processes, drop dangerous network packets, or prevent exploit attempts before they cause damage. Real-time enforcement is one of the biggest advantages of eBPF over traditional post-event alerting.

For many security teams, eBPF provides a practical alternative to installing full kernel modules or running multiple intrusive monitoring agents.

What are the Benefits of eBPF in Runtime Security?

The security community has embraced eBPF because it balances power, performance, and safety:

Deep visibility: Observe the exact runtime behavior of applications, including low-level interactions with the OS.
Lightweight footprint: No need for kernel recompilation or complex agents.
Programmable flexibility: Adapt eBPF programs for observability, performance tuning, threat detection, or compliance auditing.
Community and ecosystem support: Tools like Tetragon, Cilium, Falco, and Tracee leverage eBPF for container and runtime protection.

What are the Risks of eBPF

eBPF’s power comes with inherent risks. Just as defenders can use it to monitor and protect systems, attackers could attempt to abuse it:

Privilege escalation: If unprivileged users can load eBPF programs (due to misconfiguration or older kernels), they might exploit this to gain kernel-level access.
Kernel attack surface: Bugs in the verifier or helper functions can be weaponized to compromise the kernel.
Stealth rootkits: Malicious eBPF programs could be used to hide processes, mask network activity, or maintain persistence.

Mitigations include:

Restricting eBPF loading to privileged users.
Keeping Linux kernels updated with the latest security patches.
Monitoring for unauthorized or suspicious eBPF program activity.

This dual nature highlights why runtime security solutions must not only leverage eBPF but also detect if it is being misused.

How Does eBPF Compare to Traditional Approaches?

Security teams have long relied on agents and kernel modules to gain visibility into runtime activity, but each comes with trade-offs. eBPF offers a middle ground, delivering deep insights and control with less operational risk and overhead than older methods.

Approach	Pros	Cons
Traditional Agents	Easy to deploy at the application layer; familiar to IT teams	High overhead; limited visibility into kernel-level events
Kernel Modules	Deep access to system internals; long history of use	Risky to stability; harder to maintain; updates tied to kernel versions
eBPF	Lightweight, safe, and flexible; deep runtime visibility; real-time response	Still evolving; must be secured against misuse

Approach:
Traditional Agents

Pros:
Easy to deploy at the application layer; familiar to IT teams

Cons:
High overhead; limited visibility into kernel-level events

Approach:
Kernel Modules

Pros:
Deep access to system internals; long history of use

Cons:
Risky to stability; harder to maintain; updates tied to kernel versions

Approach:
eBPF

Pros:
Lightweight, safe, and flexible; deep runtime visibility; real-time response

Cons:
Still evolving; must be secured against misuse

What Does the Future of eBPF Look Like in Runtime Security?

The future of runtime security will be shaped by technologies that provide both deep visibility and lightweight control, and eBPF is at the center of that shift. eBPF adoption is accelerating across observability, networking, and security. Looking ahead:

Deeper integration in Kubernetes: eBPF-powered sensors will become the standard for container runtime monitoring.
AI-driven defense: As attackers use automation, eBPF telemetry can feed into AI models to detect anomalies faster.
Stronger hardening: The Linux community continues to tighten restrictions to minimize abuse.

For enterprises, eBPF is poised to be a foundational building block of runtime security in the cloud-native era.

How Does Miggo Use eBPF?

While eBPF itself is vendor-agnostic, companies like Miggo Security build on it to deliver runtime-first protection. Miggo leverages eBPF-powered Kubernetes sensors and combines them with DeepTracing™, runtime vulnerability prioritization, and ADR to:

Map application behavior in real time
Identify which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable at runtime
Detect and block attacks directly inside applications

For security teams, this means moving beyond alerts to actionable runtime protection. By integrating eBPF with its own DeepTracing™ technology, Miggo provides lightweight, developer-friendly defense against modern runtime threats.

Reach out to our team to learn how our solutions can provide the visibility and control you need to secure your data against hidden threats.

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