How eBPF Map Limits Affect Edge Security Tools Like HookProbe on Low-Cost Hardware

The Extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) enables lightweight hardware such as a Raspberry Pi to perform advanced network security monitoring by using high-performance kernel-level data structures called maps. These maps allow kernel-side eBPF programs to share network flow data, threat signatures, and behavioral patterns with user-space security applications. When an eBPF map fails to load, the entire detection capability of an intrusion detection system can be compromised. Two common Linux error codes behind such failures are EPERM, which signals insufficient process permissions like missing CAP_BPF or CAP_NET_ADMIN capabilities, and ENOMEM, which indicates the system has run out of available memory. Understanding and addressing these limits is especially critical for small businesses and lean IT teams deploying open-source security tools in containerized or resource-constrained environments.