diff --git a/dependencies.yaml b/dependencies.yaml
index 8987e2d938b..ce03b7a9f3d 100644
--- a/dependencies.yaml
+++ b/dependencies.yaml
@@ -187,16 +187,16 @@ dependencies:
 
   # kube-cross
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/kube-cross (v1.29-go1.21)"
-    version: v1.29.0-go1.21.0-bookworm.0
+    version: v1.29.0-go1.21.0-bullseye.0
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
       match: "IMAGE_VERSION: 'v((([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)'"
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/kube-cross: config variant (v1.29-go1.21)"
-    version: go1.21-bookworm
+    version: go1.21-bullseye
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
-      match: "CONFIG: 'go\\d+.\\d+-bookworm'"
+      match: "CONFIG: 'go\\d+.\\d+-bullseye'"
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/kube-cross: image revision (v1.29-go1.21)"
     version: 0
@@ -338,10 +338,10 @@ dependencies:
       match: REVISION:\ '\d+'
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/kube-cross: config variant (next candidate)"
-    version: go1.21-bookworm
+    version: go1.21-bullseye
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
-      match: "CONFIG: 'go\\d+.\\d+-bookworm'"
+      match: "CONFIG: 'go\\d+.\\d+-bullseye'"
 
   # Golang (previous release branches: 1.28)
   - name: "golang (previous release branches: 1.28)"
@@ -409,14 +409,14 @@ dependencies:
       match: "version: v\\d+.\\d+?\\.?(\\d+)?"
 
   # Base images
-  # split until all are set to bookworm
-  - name: "Debian: codename (bookworm)"
-    version: bookworm
+  # # Use bullseye for kube-cross to achieve maximum glibc compatibility.
+  - name: "Debian: codename (bullseye)"
+    version: bullseye
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/cross/Makefile
-      match: OS_CODENAME\ \?=\ bookworm
+      match: OS_CODENAME\ \?=\ bullseye
     - path: packages/deb/Dockerfile
-      match: FROM golang:\d+.\d+(alpha|beta|rc)?\.?(\d+)-bookworm
+      match: FROM golang:\d+.\d+(alpha|beta|rc)?\.?(\d+)-bullseye
 
   - name: "Debian: codename (default)"
     version: bullseye
diff --git a/images/build/cross/Makefile b/images/build/cross/Makefile
index 929bc247459..c6c196a499b 100644
--- a/images/build/cross/Makefile
+++ b/images/build/cross/Makefile
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ IMGNAME = kube-cross
 KUBERNETES_VERSION ?= v1.29.0
 GO_VERSION ?= 1.21.0
 GO_MAJOR_VERSION ?= 1.21
-OS_CODENAME ?= bookworm
+OS_CODENAME ?= bullseye
 REVISION ?= 0
 TYPE ?= default
 
diff --git a/images/build/cross/variants.yaml b/images/build/cross/variants.yaml
index cebed81c9da..54d1a108271 100644
--- a/images/build/cross/variants.yaml
+++ b/images/build/cross/variants.yaml
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 variants:
-  v1.29-go1.21-bookworm:
-    CONFIG: 'go1.21-bookworm'
+  v1.29-go1.21-bullseye:
+    CONFIG: 'go1.21-bullseye'
     TYPE: 'default'
-    IMAGE_VERSION: 'v1.29.0-go1.21.0-bookworm.0'
+    IMAGE_VERSION: 'v1.29.0-go1.21.0-bullseye.0'
     KUBERNETES_VERSION: 'v1.29.0'
     GO_VERSION: '1.21.0'
     GO_MAJOR_VERSION: '1.21'
-    OS_CODENAME: 'bookworm'
+    OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'
     REVISION: '0'
   v1.28-go1.20-bullseye:
     CONFIG: 'go1.20-bullseye'
diff --git a/packages/deb/Dockerfile b/packages/deb/Dockerfile
index e2dc313a0ab..147b5e988c4 100644
--- a/packages/deb/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/deb/Dockerfile
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-FROM golang:1.21.0-bookworm
+FROM golang:1.21.0-bullseye
 
 RUN export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
     && apt-get update -y \