diff --git a/tests/ChangeLog b/tests/ChangeLog
index 2f8b75c..57fc4c8 100644
--- a/tests/ChangeLog
+++ b/tests/ChangeLog
@@ -1,8 +1,3 @@
-2020-11-02  Mark Wielaard  <mark@klomp.org>
-
-	* run-debuginfod-find.sh: Create bogus R/nothing.rpm with cyclic
-	symlink instead of chmod 000.
-
 2020-10-31  Mark Wielaard  <mark@klomp.org>
 
 	* dwfl-proc-attach.c (dlopen): New external function override.
diff --git a/tests/backtrace-subr.sh b/tests/backtrace-subr.sh
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
diff --git a/tests/run-debuginfod-find.sh b/tests/run-debuginfod-find.sh
index 5af4566..48dbc7d 100755
--- a/tests/run-debuginfod-find.sh
+++ b/tests/run-debuginfod-find.sh
@@ -95,10 +95,9 @@ wait_ready()
   fi
 }
 
-# create a bogus .rpm file to evoke a metric-visible error
-# Use a cyclic symlink instead of chmod 000 to make sure even root
-# would see an error (running the testsuite under root is NOT encouraged).
-ln -s R/nothing.rpm R/nothing.rpm
+# create a 000 empty .rpm file to evoke a metric-visible error
+touch R/nothing.rpm
+chmod 000 R/nothing.rpm
 
 env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ldpath DEBUGINFOD_URLS= ${abs_builddir}/../debuginfod/debuginfod $VERBOSE -F -R -d $DB -p $PORT1 -t0 -g0 --fdcache-fds 1 --fdcache-mbs 2 -Z .tar.xz -Z .tar.bz2=bzcat -v R F Z L > vlog4 2>&1 &
 PID1=$!
diff --git a/tests/test-subr.sh b/tests/test-subr.sh
old mode 100755
new mode 100644