diff --git a/src/core/bpf-lsm.c b/src/core/bpf-lsm.c
index e0333963c5..83f3199349 100644
--- a/src/core/bpf-lsm.c
+++ b/src/core/bpf-lsm.c
@@ -45,10 +45,11 @@ static bool bpf_can_link_lsm_program(struct bpf_program *prog) {
         assert(prog);
 
         link = sym_bpf_program__attach_lsm(prog);
-        if (!link)
-                return -ENOMEM;
 
-        return 1;
+        /* If bpf_program__attach_lsm fails the resulting value stores libbpf error code instead of memory
+         * pointer. That is the case when the helper is called on architectures where BPF trampoline (hence
+         * BPF_LSM_MAC attach type) is not supported. */
+        return sym_libbpf_get_error(link) == 0;
 }
 
 static int prepare_restrict_fs_bpf(struct restrict_fs_bpf **ret_obj) {
@@ -166,9 +167,9 @@ int lsm_bpf_supported(void) {
         if (r < 0)
                 return supported = 0;
 
-        r = bpf_can_link_lsm_program(obj->progs.restrict_filesystems);
-        if (r < 0) {
-                log_warning_errno(r, "Failed to link BPF program. Assuming BPF is not available: %m");
+        if (!bpf_can_link_lsm_program(obj->progs.restrict_filesystems)) {
+                log_warning_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EOPNOTSUPP),
+                                  "Failed to link BPF program. Assuming BPF is not available");
                 return supported = 0;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/shared/bpf-link.c b/src/shared/bpf-link.c
index 85eab09032..fea49b2ecb 100644
--- a/src/shared/bpf-link.c
+++ b/src/shared/bpf-link.c
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ int bpf_serialize_link(FILE *f, FDSet *fds, const char *key, struct bpf_link *li
 }
 
 struct bpf_link *bpf_link_free(struct bpf_link *link) {
-
-        /* Avoid a useless dlopen() if link == NULL */
-        if (!link)
-                return NULL;
-
-        (void) sym_bpf_link__destroy(link);
+        /* If libbpf wasn't dlopen()ed, sym_bpf_link__destroy might be unresolved (NULL), so let's not try to
+         * call it if link is NULL. link might also be a non-null "error pointer", but such a value can only
+         * originate from a call to libbpf, but that means that libbpf is available, and we can let
+         * bpf_link__destroy() handle it. */
+        if (link)
+                (void) sym_bpf_link__destroy(link);
 
         return NULL;
 }