diff --git a/llvm/lib/Target/BPF/BTFDebug.cpp b/llvm/lib/Target/BPF/BTFDebug.cpp
--- a/llvm/lib/Target/BPF/BTFDebug.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/Target/BPF/BTFDebug.cpp
@@ -1146,10 +1146,6 @@
         SecName = ".rodata";
       else
         SecName = Global.getInitializer()->isZeroValue() ? ".bss" : ".data";
-    } else {
-      // extern variables without explicit section,
-      // put them into ".extern" section.
-      SecName = ".extern";
     }
 
     if (ProcessingMapDef != SecName.startswith(".maps"))
@@ -1213,7 +1209,9 @@
         std::make_unique<BTFKindVar>(Global.getName(), GVTypeId, GVarInfo);
     uint32_t VarId = addType(std::move(VarEntry));
 
-    assert(!SecName.empty());
+    // An empty SecName means an extern variable without section attribute.
+    if (SecName.empty())
+      continue;
 
     // Find or create a DataSec
     if (DataSecEntries.find(std::string(SecName)) == DataSecEntries.end()) {
diff --git a/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct-weak.ll b/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct-weak.ll
--- a/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct-weak.ll
+++ b/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct-weak.ll
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   24
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   116
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   116
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   81
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   92
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   92
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   73
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0                       # BTF_KIND_FUNC_PROTO(id = 1)
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   218103808               # 0xd000000
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   2
@@ -50,12 +50,6 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   234881024               # 0xe000000
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   4
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   2
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   73                      # BTF_KIND_DATASEC(id = 7)
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   251658241               # 0xf000001
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   6
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   global
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   4
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0                       # string offset=0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  "int"                   # string offset=1
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
@@ -73,8 +67,6 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  "global"                # string offset=66
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  ".extern"               # string offset=73
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 
 attributes #0 = { norecurse nounwind readonly "correctly-rounded-divide-sqrt-fp-math"="false" "disable-tail-calls"="false" "frame-pointer"="all" "less-precise-fpmad"="false" "min-legal-vector-width"="0" "no-infs-fp-math"="false" "no-jump-tables"="false" "no-nans-fp-math"="false" "no-signed-zeros-fp-math"="false" "no-trapping-math"="false" "stack-protector-buffer-size"="8" "unsafe-fp-math"="false" "use-soft-float"="false" }
 
diff --git a/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct.ll b/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct.ll
--- a/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct.ll
+++ b/llvm/test/CodeGen/BPF/BTF/extern-var-struct.ll
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   24
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   116
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   116
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   81
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   92
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   92
+; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   73
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0                       # BTF_KIND_FUNC_PROTO(id = 1)
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   218103808               # 0xd000000
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   2
@@ -51,12 +51,6 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   234881024               # 0xe000000
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   4
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   2
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   73                      # BTF_KIND_DATASEC(id = 7)
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   251658241               # 0xf000001
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   6
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   global
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .long   4
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0                       # string offset=0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  "int"                   # string offset=1
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
@@ -74,8 +68,6 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  "global"                # string offset=66
 ; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .ascii  ".extern"               # string offset=73
-; CHECK-NEXT:        .byte   0
 
 attributes #0 = { norecurse nounwind readonly "correctly-rounded-divide-sqrt-fp-math"="false" "disable-tail-calls"="false" "frame-pointer"="all" "less-precise-fpmad"="false" "min-legal-vector-width"="0" "no-infs-fp-math"="false" "no-jump-tables"="false" "no-nans-fp-math"="false" "no-signed-zeros-fp-math"="false" "no-trapping-math"="false" "stack-protector-buffer-size"="8" "unsafe-fp-math"="false" "use-soft-float"="false" }