diff --git a/link/kprobe.go b/link/kprobe.go
index e2c79cb68..286e3c66a 100644
--- a/link/kprobe.go
+++ b/link/kprobe.go
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ func createTraceFSProbeEvent(typ probeType, args probeArgs) error {
 		// the eBPF program itself.
 		// See Documentation/kprobes.txt for more details.
 		token = kprobeToken(args)
-		pe = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s/%s %s", probePrefix(args.ret), args.group, sanitizedSymbol(args.symbol), token)
+		pe = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s/%s %s", probePrefix(args.ret), args.group, sanitizeSymbol(args.symbol), token)
 	case uprobeType:
 		// The uprobe_events syntax is as follows:
 		// p[:[GRP/]EVENT] PATH:OFFSET [FETCHARGS] : Set a probe
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ func closeTraceFSProbeEvent(typ probeType, group, symbol string) error {
 
 	// See [k,u]probe_events syntax above. The probe type does not need to be specified
 	// for removals.
-	pe := fmt.Sprintf("-:%s/%s", group, sanitizedSymbol(symbol))
+	pe := fmt.Sprintf("-:%s/%s", group, sanitizeSymbol(symbol))
 	if _, err = f.WriteString(pe); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("writing '%s' to '%s': %w", pe, typ.EventsPath(), err)
 	}
diff --git a/link/perf_event.go b/link/perf_event.go
index 84981b373..0e5bd4791 100644
--- a/link/perf_event.go
+++ b/link/perf_event.go
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ func unsafeStringPtr(str string) (unsafe.Pointer, error) {
 // name automatically has its invalid symbols converted to underscores so the caller
 // can pass a raw symbol name, e.g. a kernel symbol containing dots.
 func getTraceEventID(group, name string) (uint64, error) {
-	name = sanitizedSymbol(name)
+	name = sanitizeSymbol(name)
 	tid, err := uint64FromFile(tracefsPath, "events", group, name, "id")
 	if errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
 		return 0, fmt.Errorf("trace event %s/%s: %w", group, name, os.ErrNotExist)
diff --git a/link/uprobe.go b/link/uprobe.go
index 896d9e157..ca11f376b 100644
--- a/link/uprobe.go
+++ b/link/uprobe.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"regexp"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/cilium/ebpf"
@@ -16,10 +16,6 @@ import (
 var (
 	uprobeEventsPath = filepath.Join(tracefsPath, "uprobe_events")
 
-	// rgxEventSymbol is used to strip invalid characters from the [k,u]probe symbol
-	// as they are not allowed to be used as the EVENT token in tracefs.
-	rgxEventSymbol = regexp.MustCompile("[^a-zA-Z0-9]+")
-
 	uprobeRetprobeBit = struct {
 		once  sync.Once
 		value uint64
@@ -296,7 +292,7 @@ func (ex *Executable) uprobe(symbol string, prog *ebpf.Program, opts *UprobeOpti
 	}
 
 	// Use tracefs if uprobe PMU is missing.
-	args.symbol = sanitizedSymbol(symbol)
+	args.symbol = sanitizeSymbol(symbol)
 	tp, err = tracefsUprobe(args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("creating trace event '%s:%s' in tracefs: %w", ex.path, symbol, err)
@@ -315,9 +311,29 @@ func tracefsUprobe(args probeArgs) (*perfEvent, error) {
 	return tracefsProbe(uprobeType, args)
 }
 
-// sanitizedSymbol replaces every invalid character for the tracefs api with an underscore.
-func sanitizedSymbol(symbol string) string {
-	return rgxEventSymbol.ReplaceAllString(symbol, "_")
+// sanitizeSymbol replaces every invalid character for the tracefs api with an underscore.
+// It is equivalent to calling regexp.MustCompile("[^a-zA-Z0-9]+").ReplaceAllString("_").
+func sanitizeSymbol(s string) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.Grow(len(s))
+	var skip bool
+	for _, c := range []byte(s) {
+		switch {
+		case c >= 'a' && c <= 'z',
+			c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z',
+			c >= '0' && c <= '9':
+			skip = false
+			b.WriteByte(c)
+
+		default:
+			if !skip {
+				b.WriteByte('_')
+				skip = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return b.String()
 }
 
 // uprobeToken creates the PATH:OFFSET(REF_CTR_OFFSET) token for the tracefs api.
diff --git a/link/uprobe_test.go b/link/uprobe_test.go
index ae37894a6..e26c8e7b8 100644
--- a/link/uprobe_test.go
+++ b/link/uprobe_test.go
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ func TestUprobeTraceFS(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Prepare probe args.
 	args := probeArgs{
-		symbol: sanitizedSymbol(bashSym),
+		symbol: sanitizeSymbol(bashSym),
 		path:   bashEx.path,
 		offset: off,
 		pid:    perfAllThreads,
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func TestUprobeCreateTraceFS(t *testing.T) {
 	c.Assert(err, qt.IsNil)
 
 	// Sanitize the symbol in order to be used in tracefs API.
-	ssym := sanitizedSymbol(bashSym)
+	ssym := sanitizeSymbol(bashSym)
 
 	pg, _ := randomGroup("ebpftest")
 	rg, _ := randomGroup("ebpftest")
@@ -280,14 +280,16 @@ func TestUprobeSanitizedSymbol(t *testing.T) {
 		expected string
 	}{
 		{"readline", "readline"},
-		{"main.Func", "main_Func"},
+		{"main.Func123", "main_Func123"},
 		{"a.....a", "a_a"},
 		{"./;'{}[]a", "_a"},
+		{"***xx**xx###", "_xx_xx_"},
+		{`@P#r$i%v^3*+t)i&k++--`, "_P_r_i_v_3_t_i_k_"},
 	}
 
 	for i, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(fmt.Sprint(i), func(t *testing.T) {
-			sanitized := sanitizedSymbol(tt.symbol)
+			sanitized := sanitizeSymbol(tt.symbol)
 			if tt.expected != sanitized {
 				t.Errorf("Expected sanitized symbol to be '%s', got '%s'", tt.expected, sanitized)
 			}