diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull_request.yml b/.github/workflows/pull_request.yml
index 2ebb4bac7e1a711bdf5ee74066d29948245d09a9..93b2164d937d0f2e027e09dc6367eb1cf5023961 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull_request.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull_request.yml
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ name: Pull request checks
 
 on:
   push:
-    branches: [ main ]
+    branches: [ 'main', 'release-*' ]
   pull_request:
-    branches: [ main ]
+    branches: [ 'main', 'release-*' ]
 
 jobs:
   test:
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        go: ['1.17']
+        go: ['1.18']
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Set up Go
       uses: actions/setup-go@v2
       with:
-        go-version: 1.17
+        go-version: 1.18
     - name: Install make
       run: sudo apt -y install make
     - name: Run verification and tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull_request_e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/pull_request_e2e.yml
index e8fab5dc1685ea8a8918f6a772f1c4d8f386e1ef..d34adea615994fed017d85e4882349ce253acd04 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull_request_e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull_request_e2e.yml
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ name: pull request - e2e tests
 #todo: check caching dependencies: https://github.com/actions/cache
 on:
   push:
-    branches: [ main ]
+    branches: [ 'main', 'release-*' ]
   pull_request:
-    branches: [ main ]
+    branches: [ 'main', 'release-*' ]
 
 jobs:
   e2e-tests:
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        go: ['1.17']
+        go: ['1.18']
     steps:
     - name: install make
       run: sudo apt-get install make
diff --git a/.github/workflows/push_image.yml b/.github/workflows/push_image.yml
index 7d9d2bcc2cce39191dc7b75c65f705944d21b6f3..9b541818503f57fee50a608f35c38c67e919a16f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/push_image.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/push_image.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        go: ['1.17']
+        go: ['1.18']
     steps:
       - name: install make
         run: sudo apt-get install make
diff --git a/.github/workflows/push_image_pr.yml b/.github/workflows/push_image_pr.yml
index 47292aad1710a159bbbafe8003143c1f1d8389fe..faf41691a2c4a605ccd017ccfd9bceca2337457c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/push_image_pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/push_image_pr.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        go: ['1.17']
+        go: ['1.18']
     steps:
       - name: install make
         run: sudo apt-get install make
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index bfc7cf090c0c857ebafde5697570489b710102ea..19ba12fdee44543a1fd413011fd66959e6a97f6b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        go: ['1.17']
+        go: ['1.18']
     steps:
       - name: checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v2
diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
index dd337cd2051195cb5bf9e85eb7e44a82cb057f5c..b75c21b7bd0b978865e872972de6f083088fe548 100644
--- a/.golangci.yml
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ linters:
     - varcheck
 linters-settings:
   stylecheck:
-    go: "1.17"
+    go: "1.18"
   gocritic:
     enabled-checks:
       - hugeParam
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 860d0712699ff43721da2e5d1937ae66fe4aaad9..317106e7b19071dfbfad27c43d8dcb081d7426a2 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Build the manager binary
-FROM registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/go-toolset:1.17.12 as builder
+FROM registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/go-toolset:1.18.4 as builder
 
 ARG SW_VERSION="unknown"
-ARG GOVERSION="1.17.8"
+ARG GOVERSION="1.18.4"
 
 WORKDIR /opt/app-root
 
diff --git a/examples/performance/Dockerfile_packet_counter b/examples/performance/Dockerfile_packet_counter
index 4a61afd22c22633eeb07962b45fa225b37e44d27..5e8863b58b6e478c225f44f8fe4d821e2a5e0560 100644
--- a/examples/performance/Dockerfile_packet_counter
+++ b/examples/performance/Dockerfile_packet_counter
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # this file has to be built from the project root directory
 
-FROM golang:1.17 as builder
+FROM golang:1.18 as builder
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
diff --git a/scripts/generators.Dockerfile b/scripts/generators.Dockerfile
index b98de99bce16b2f97d21c241e3146dcf8d98209a..d5218bbcc9c0777beec092ec80a2874ce59ceb7f 100644
--- a/scripts/generators.Dockerfile
+++ b/scripts/generators.Dockerfile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 FROM fedora:35
 
-ARG GOVERSION="1.17.12"
+ARG GOVERSION="1.18.4"
 ARG PROTOCVERSION="3.19.4"
 
 # Installs dependencies that are required to compile eBPF programs