diff --git a/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h b/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
index 32c23f2a3086..222f6af278ec 100644
--- a/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
+++ b/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ struct bpf_verifier_state {
 /* linked list of verifier states used to prune search */
 struct bpf_verifier_state_list {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state state;
-	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *next;
+	struct list_head node;
 	int miss_cnt, hit_cnt;
 };
 
@@ -710,8 +710,11 @@ struct bpf_verifier_env {
 	bool test_state_freq;		/* test verifier with different pruning frequency */
 	bool test_reg_invariants;	/* fail verification on register invariants violations */
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *cur_state; /* current verifier state */
-	struct bpf_verifier_state_list **explored_states; /* search pruning optimization */
-	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *free_list;
+	/* Search pruning optimization, array of list_heads for
+	 * lists of struct bpf_verifier_state_list.
+	 */
+	struct list_head *explored_states;
+	struct list_head free_list;	/* list of struct bpf_verifier_state_list */
 	struct bpf_map *used_maps[MAX_USED_MAPS]; /* array of map's used by eBPF program */
 	struct btf_mod_pair used_btfs[MAX_USED_BTFS]; /* array of BTF's used by BPF program */
 	u32 used_map_cnt;		/* number of used maps */
diff --git a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
index 3c3f33d90fc0..1016481ea754 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
@@ -1680,7 +1680,7 @@ static u32 state_htab_size(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 	return env->prog->len;
 }
 
-static struct bpf_verifier_state_list **explored_state(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int idx)
+static struct list_head *explored_state(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int idx)
 {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *cur = env->cur_state;
 	struct bpf_func_state *state = cur->frame[cur->curframe];
@@ -8422,10 +8422,12 @@ static struct bpf_verifier_state *find_prev_entry(struct bpf_verifier_env *env,
 {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl;
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *st;
+	struct list_head *pos, *head;
 
 	/* Explored states are pushed in stack order, most recent states come first */
-	sl = *explored_state(env, insn_idx);
-	for (; sl; sl = sl->next) {
+	head = explored_state(env, insn_idx);
+	list_for_each(pos, head) {
+		sl = container_of(pos, struct bpf_verifier_state_list, node);
 		/* If st->branches != 0 state is a part of current DFS verification path,
 		 * hence cur & st for a loop.
 		 */
@@ -17808,20 +17810,20 @@ static void clean_live_states(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn,
 {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *loop_entry;
 	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl;
+	struct list_head *pos, *head;
 
-	sl = *explored_state(env, insn);
-	while (sl) {
+	head = explored_state(env, insn);
+	list_for_each(pos, head) {
+		sl = container_of(pos, struct bpf_verifier_state_list, node);
 		if (sl->state.branches)
-			goto next;
+			continue;
 		loop_entry = get_loop_entry(env, &sl->state);
 		if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(loop_entry) && loop_entry->branches)
-			goto next;
+			continue;
 		if (sl->state.insn_idx != insn ||
 		    !same_callsites(&sl->state, cur))
-			goto next;
+			continue;
 		clean_verifier_state(env, &sl->state);
-next:
-		sl = sl->next;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -18512,10 +18514,11 @@ static bool iter_active_depths_differ(struct bpf_verifier_state *old, struct bpf
 static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *new_sl;
-	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl, **pprev;
+	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl;
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *cur = env->cur_state, *new, *loop_entry;
 	int i, j, n, err, states_cnt = 0;
 	bool force_new_state, add_new_state, force_exact;
+	struct list_head *pos, *tmp, *head;
 
 	force_new_state = env->test_state_freq || is_force_checkpoint(env, insn_idx) ||
 			  /* Avoid accumulating infinitely long jmp history */
@@ -18534,15 +18537,14 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 	    env->insn_processed - env->prev_insn_processed >= 8)
 		add_new_state = true;
 
-	pprev = explored_state(env, insn_idx);
-	sl = *pprev;
-
 	clean_live_states(env, insn_idx, cur);
 
-	while (sl) {
+	head = explored_state(env, insn_idx);
+	list_for_each_safe(pos, tmp, head) {
+		sl = container_of(pos, struct bpf_verifier_state_list, node);
 		states_cnt++;
 		if (sl->state.insn_idx != insn_idx)
-			goto next;
+			continue;
 
 		if (sl->state.branches) {
 			struct bpf_func_state *frame = sl->state.frame[sl->state.curframe];
@@ -18747,7 +18749,7 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 			/* the state is unlikely to be useful. Remove it to
 			 * speed up verification
 			 */
-			*pprev = sl->next;
+			list_del(&sl->node);
 			if (sl->state.frame[0]->regs[0].live & REG_LIVE_DONE &&
 			    !sl->state.used_as_loop_entry) {
 				u32 br = sl->state.branches;
@@ -18763,15 +18765,9 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 				 * walk it later. Add it for free_list instead to
 				 * be freed at the end of verification
 				 */
-				sl->next = env->free_list;
-				env->free_list = sl;
+				list_add(&sl->node, &env->free_list);
 			}
-			sl = *pprev;
-			continue;
 		}
-next:
-		pprev = &sl->next;
-		sl = *pprev;
 	}
 
 	if (env->max_states_per_insn < states_cnt)
@@ -18820,8 +18816,8 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 	cur->first_insn_idx = insn_idx;
 	cur->insn_hist_start = cur->insn_hist_end;
 	cur->dfs_depth = new->dfs_depth + 1;
-	new_sl->next = *explored_state(env, insn_idx);
-	*explored_state(env, insn_idx) = new_sl;
+	list_add(&new_sl->node, head);
+
 	/* connect new state to parentage chain. Current frame needs all
 	 * registers connected. Only r6 - r9 of the callers are alive (pushed
 	 * to the stack implicitly by JITs) so in callers' frames connect just
@@ -22138,31 +22134,29 @@ static int remove_fastcall_spills_fills(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 
 static void free_states(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 {
-	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl, *sln;
+	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl;
+	struct list_head *head, *pos, *tmp;
 	int i;
 
-	sl = env->free_list;
-	while (sl) {
-		sln = sl->next;
+	list_for_each_safe(pos, tmp, &env->free_list) {
+		sl = container_of(pos, struct bpf_verifier_state_list, node);
 		free_verifier_state(&sl->state, false);
 		kfree(sl);
-		sl = sln;
 	}
-	env->free_list = NULL;
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&env->free_list);
 
 	if (!env->explored_states)
 		return;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < state_htab_size(env); i++) {
-		sl = env->explored_states[i];
+		head = &env->explored_states[i];
 
-		while (sl) {
-			sln = sl->next;
+		list_for_each_safe(pos, tmp, head) {
+			sl = container_of(pos, struct bpf_verifier_state_list, node);
 			free_verifier_state(&sl->state, false);
 			kfree(sl);
-			sl = sln;
 		}
-		env->explored_states[i] = NULL;
+		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&env->explored_states[i]);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -23120,12 +23114,16 @@ int bpf_check(struct bpf_prog **prog, union bpf_attr *attr, bpfptr_t uattr, __u3
 	env->test_reg_invariants = attr->prog_flags & BPF_F_TEST_REG_INVARIANTS;
 
 	env->explored_states = kvcalloc(state_htab_size(env),
-				       sizeof(struct bpf_verifier_state_list *),
+				       sizeof(struct list_head),
 				       GFP_USER);
 	ret = -ENOMEM;
 	if (!env->explored_states)
 		goto skip_full_check;
 
+	for (i = 0; i < state_htab_size(env); i++)
+		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&env->explored_states[i]);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&env->free_list);
+
 	ret = check_btf_info_early(env, attr, uattr);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto skip_full_check;
