diff --git a/wal/file_pipeline.go b/wal/file_pipeline.go
index 5b282b6cd..3412210a3 100644
--- a/wal/file_pipeline.go
+++ b/wal/file_pipeline.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func (fp *filePipeline) Close() error {
 func (fp *filePipeline) alloc() (f *fileutil.LockedFile, err error) {
 	// count % 2 so this file isn't the same as the one last published
 	fpath := path.Join(fp.dir, fmt.Sprintf("%d.tmp", fp.count%2))
-	if f, err = fileutil.LockFile(fpath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY, 0600); err != nil {
+	if f, err = fileutil.LockFile(fpath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY, fileutil.PrivateFileMode); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if err = fileutil.Preallocate(f.File, fp.size, true); err != nil {
diff --git a/wal/repair.go b/wal/repair.go
index 43b98135f..0a920e2d8 100644
--- a/wal/repair.go
+++ b/wal/repair.go
@@ -95,5 +95,5 @@ func openLast(dirpath string) (*fileutil.LockedFile, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	last := path.Join(dirpath, names[len(names)-1])
-	return fileutil.LockFile(last, os.O_RDWR, 0600)
+	return fileutil.LockFile(last, os.O_RDWR, fileutil.PrivateFileMode)
 }
diff --git a/wal/wal.go b/wal/wal.go
index f5913ffc0..f0e56a84f 100644
--- a/wal/wal.go
+++ b/wal/wal.go
@@ -41,9 +41,6 @@ const (
 	crcType
 	snapshotType
 
-	// the owner can make/remove files inside the directory
-	privateDirMode = 0700
-
 	// the expected size of each wal segment file.
 	// the actual size might be bigger than it.
 	segmentSizeBytes = 64 * 1000 * 1000 // 64MB
@@ -100,12 +97,12 @@ func Create(dirpath string, metadata []byte) (*WAL, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(tmpdirpath, privateDirMode); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(tmpdirpath, fileutil.PrivateDirMode); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	p := path.Join(tmpdirpath, walName(0, 0))
-	f, err := fileutil.LockFile(p, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
+	f, err := fileutil.LockFile(p, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, fileutil.PrivateFileMode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -177,7 +174,7 @@ func openAtIndex(dirpath string, snap walpb.Snapshot, write bool) (*WAL, error)
 	for _, name := range names[nameIndex:] {
 		p := path.Join(dirpath, name)
 		if write {
-			l, err := fileutil.TryLockFile(p, os.O_RDWR, 0600)
+			l, err := fileutil.TryLockFile(p, os.O_RDWR, fileutil.PrivateFileMode)
 			if err != nil {
 				closeAll(rcs...)
 				return nil, err
@@ -185,7 +182,7 @@ func openAtIndex(dirpath string, snap walpb.Snapshot, write bool) (*WAL, error)
 			ls = append(ls, l)
 			rcs = append(rcs, l)
 		} else {
-			rf, err := os.OpenFile(p, os.O_RDONLY, 0600)
+			rf, err := os.OpenFile(p, os.O_RDONLY, fileutil.PrivateFileMode)
 			if err != nil {
 				closeAll(rcs...)
 				return nil, err
@@ -373,7 +370,7 @@ func (w *WAL) cut() error {
 	}
 	newTail.Close()
 
-	if newTail, err = fileutil.LockFile(fpath, os.O_WRONLY, 0600); err != nil {
+	if newTail, err = fileutil.LockFile(fpath, os.O_WRONLY, fileutil.PrivateFileMode); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	if _, err = newTail.Seek(off, os.SEEK_SET); err != nil {
diff --git a/wal/wal_test.go b/wal/wal_test.go
index 270f6f6c3..17f1b7b9e 100644
--- a/wal/wal_test.go
+++ b/wal/wal_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/pkg/fileutil"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/pkg/pbutil"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/raft/raftpb"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/wal/walpb"
@@ -614,7 +615,7 @@ func TestRestartCreateWal(t *testing.T) {
 	if err = os.Mkdir(p+".tmp", 0755); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if _, err = os.OpenFile(path.Join(tmpdir, "test"), os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600); err != nil {
+	if _, err = os.OpenFile(path.Join(tmpdir, "test"), os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, fileutil.PrivateFileMode); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}