diff --git a/tools/perf/util/record.c b/tools/perf/util/record.c
index cf69325b985f15534fcb54303b98cfd5409d6e50..8acd0df88b5c4b75063d7ad2f83a55ef4f4f6286 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/record.c
@@ -137,16 +137,7 @@ void perf_evlist__config(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct record_opts *opts)
 
 static int get_max_rate(unsigned int *rate)
 {
-	char path[PATH_MAX];
-	const char *procfs = procfs__mountpoint();
-
-	if (!procfs)
-		return -1;
-
-	snprintf(path, PATH_MAX,
-		 "%s/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_sample_rate", procfs);
-
-	return filename__read_int(path, (int *) rate);
+	return sysctl__read_int("kernel/perf_event_max_sample_rate", (int *)rate);
 }
 
 static int record_opts__config_freq(struct record_opts *opts)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.c b/tools/perf/util/util.c
index 41125e5b011e6e21e4a2de3f959984a704e0fa34..b86744f29eeffce074d2c11fd11c5330ac72bfaa 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.c
@@ -506,16 +506,9 @@ const char *get_filename_for_perf_kvm(void)
 
 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))
+	if (sysctl__read_int("kernel/perf_event_paranoid", &value))
 		return INT_MAX;
 
 	return value;