diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index af250556b33f9e0d56493aa390aaa826db6eb08a..2eb7378e4c4064e657be6c39cb4119bcb29c82a3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -1191,8 +1191,7 @@ int perf_evlist__strerror_open(struct perf_evlist *evlist __maybe_unused,
 				    "Error:\t%s.\n"
 				    "Hint:\tCheck /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid setting.", emsg);
 
-		if (filename__read_int("/proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid", &value))
-			break;
+		value = perf_event_paranoid();
 
 		printed += scnprintf(buf + printed, size - printed, "\nHint:\t");
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.c b/tools/perf/util/util.c
index 4a57609c0b43ba1f89ae3fee149aea8cc2755d7a..8f63dba212d7f850350d8b2fad95034bad53827b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "../perf.h"
 #include "util.h"
+#include "fs.h"
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_BACKTRACE_SUPPORT
 #include <execinfo.h>
@@ -8,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <limits.h>
 #include <linux/kernel.h>
 
 /*
@@ -496,3 +498,20 @@ const char *get_filename_for_perf_kvm(void)
 
 	return filename;
 }
+
+int perf_event_paranoid(void)
+{
+	char path[PATH_MAX];
+	const char *procfs = procfs__mountpoint();
+	int value;
+
+	if (!procfs)
+		return INT_MAX;
+
+	scnprintf(path, PATH_MAX, "%s/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid", procfs);
+
+	if (filename__read_int(path, &value))
+		return INT_MAX;
+
+	return value;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index 0171213d1d4db8c5cff8cda8a1458f1bf170735c..1e7d4136cc82aaeb0881907610d71b3cff1b3f61 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -321,6 +321,7 @@ void free_srcline(char *srcline);
 
 int filename__read_int(const char *filename, int *value);
 int filename__read_str(const char *filename, char **buf, size_t *sizep);
+int perf_event_paranoid(void);
 
 const char *get_filename_for_perf_kvm(void);
 #endif /* GIT_COMPAT_UTIL_H */