diff --git a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
index dfb138b46488..8365259a7c5a 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
@@ -5064,14 +5064,21 @@ static struct bpf_prog *bpf_patch_insn_data(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, u32 of
 	return new_prog;
 }
 
-/* The verifier does more data flow analysis than llvm and will not explore
- * branches that are dead at run time. Malicious programs can have dead code
- * too. Therefore replace all dead at-run-time code with nops.
+/* The verifier does more data flow analysis than llvm and will not
+ * explore branches that are dead at run time. Malicious programs can
+ * have dead code too. Therefore replace all dead at-run-time code
+ * with 'ja -1'.
+ *
+ * Just nops are not optimal, e.g. if they would sit at the end of the
+ * program and through another bug we would manage to jump there, then
+ * we'd execute beyond program memory otherwise. Returning exception
+ * code also wouldn't work since we can have subprogs where the dead
+ * code could be located.
  */
 static void sanitize_dead_code(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 {
 	struct bpf_insn_aux_data *aux_data = env->insn_aux_data;
-	struct bpf_insn nop = BPF_MOV64_REG(BPF_REG_0, BPF_REG_0);
+	struct bpf_insn trap = BPF_JMP_IMM(BPF_JA, 0, 0, -1);
 	struct bpf_insn *insn = env->prog->insnsi;
 	const int insn_cnt = env->prog->len;
 	int i;
@@ -5079,7 +5086,7 @@ static void sanitize_dead_code(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 	for (i = 0; i < insn_cnt; i++) {
 		if (aux_data[i].seen)
 			continue;
-		memcpy(insn + i, &nop, sizeof(nop));
+		memcpy(insn + i, &trap, sizeof(trap));
 	}
 }