diff --git a/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h b/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
index 85afb6744ce251..9b75b39f83d78a 100644
--- a/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
+++ b/include/linux/bpf_verifier.h
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ struct bpf_verifier_state {
 struct bpf_verifier_state_list {
 	struct bpf_verifier_state state;
 	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *next;
+	int miss_cnt, hit_cnt;
 };
 
 /* Possible states for alu_state member. */
@@ -268,6 +269,7 @@ struct bpf_verifier_env {
 	bool strict_alignment;		/* perform strict pointer alignment checks */
 	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;
 	struct bpf_map *used_maps[MAX_USED_MAPS]; /* array of map's used by eBPF program */
 	u32 used_map_cnt;		/* number of used maps */
 	u32 id_gen;			/* used to generate unique reg IDs */
diff --git a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
index 2dbecc621d0606..87e187e83d4e9d 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/verifier.c
@@ -6107,12 +6107,14 @@ static int propagate_liveness(struct bpf_verifier_env *env,
 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;
+	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl, **pprev;
 	struct bpf_verifier_state *cur = env->cur_state, *new;
 	int i, j, err, states_cnt = 0;
 
 	cur->last_insn_idx = env->prev_insn_idx;
-	sl = env->explored_states[insn_idx];
+	pprev = &env->explored_states[insn_idx];
+	sl = *pprev;
+
 	if (!sl)
 		/* this 'insn_idx' instruction wasn't marked, so we will not
 		 * be doing state search here
@@ -6123,6 +6125,7 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 
 	while (sl != STATE_LIST_MARK) {
 		if (states_equal(env, &sl->state, cur)) {
+			sl->hit_cnt++;
 			/* reached equivalent register/stack state,
 			 * prune the search.
 			 * Registers read by the continuation are read by us.
@@ -6138,8 +6141,35 @@ static int is_state_visited(struct bpf_verifier_env *env, int insn_idx)
 				return err;
 			return 1;
 		}
-		sl = sl->next;
 		states_cnt++;
+		sl->miss_cnt++;
+		/* heuristic to determine whether this state is beneficial
+		 * to keep checking from state equivalence point of view.
+		 * Higher numbers increase max_states_per_insn and verification time,
+		 * but do not meaningfully decrease insn_processed.
+		 */
+		if (sl->miss_cnt > sl->hit_cnt * 3 + 3) {
+			/* the state is unlikely to be useful. Remove it to
+			 * speed up verification
+			 */
+			*pprev = sl->next;
+			if (sl->state.frame[0]->regs[0].live & REG_LIVE_DONE) {
+				free_verifier_state(&sl->state, false);
+				kfree(sl);
+				env->peak_states--;
+			} else {
+				/* cannot free this state, since parentage chain may
+				 * 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;
+			}
+			sl = *pprev;
+			continue;
+		}
+		pprev = &sl->next;
+		sl = *pprev;
 	}
 
 	if (env->max_states_per_insn < states_cnt)
@@ -7456,6 +7486,14 @@ static void free_states(struct bpf_verifier_env *env)
 	struct bpf_verifier_state_list *sl, *sln;
 	int i;
 
+	sl = env->free_list;
+	while (sl) {
+		sln = sl->next;
+		free_verifier_state(&sl->state, false);
+		kfree(sl);
+		sl = sln;
+	}
+
 	if (!env->explored_states)
 		return;