diff --git a/client/allocdir/fs_unix.go b/client/allocdir/fs_unix.go
index db0d6ac0e..b41b78b58 100644
--- a/client/allocdir/fs_unix.go
+++ b/client/allocdir/fs_unix.go
@@ -43,14 +43,17 @@ func dropDirPermissions(path string, desired os.FileMode) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	nobody := users.Nobody()
+	u, err := users.Lookup("nobody")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to find nobody user: %w", err)
+	}
 
-	uid, err := getUid(&nobody)
+	uid, err := getUid(u)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	gid, err := getGid(&nobody)
+	gid, err := getGid(u)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/helper/users/lookup_linux_test.go b/helper/users/lookup_linux_test.go
index a8fb9fefe..417f7a5fe 100644
--- a/helper/users/lookup_linux_test.go
+++ b/helper/users/lookup_linux_test.go
@@ -43,12 +43,6 @@ func TestLookup_Linux(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestLookup_NobodyIDs(t *testing.T) {
-	uid, gid := NobodyIDs()
-	must.Eq(t, 65534, uid) // ubuntu
-	must.Eq(t, 65534, gid) // ubuntu
-}
-
 func TestWriteFileFor_Linux(t *testing.T) {
 	// This is really how you have to retrieve umask. See `man 2 umask`
 	umask := unix.Umask(0)
@@ -93,7 +87,9 @@ func TestSocketFileFor_Linux(t *testing.T) {
 	ln, err := SocketFileFor(logger, path, "nobody")
 	must.NoError(t, err)
 	must.NotNil(t, ln)
-	defer ln.Close()
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		_ = ln.Close()
+	})
 
 	stat, err := os.Lstat(path)
 	must.NoError(t, err)
diff --git a/helper/users/lookup_unix.go b/helper/users/lookup_unix.go
deleted file mode 100644
index efe506e42..000000000
--- a/helper/users/lookup_unix.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
-
-//go:build unix
-
-package users
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os/user"
-	"strconv"
-)
-
-var (
-	// nobody is a cached copy of the nobody user, which is going to be looked-up
-	// frequently and is unlikely to be modified on the underlying system.
-	nobody user.User
-
-	// nobodyUID is a cached copy of the int value of the nobody user's UID.
-	nobodyUID uint32
-
-	// nobodyGID int is a cached copy of the int value of the nobody users's GID.
-	nobodyGID uint32
-)
-
-// Nobody returns User data for the "nobody" user on the system, bypassing the
-// locking / file read / NSS lookup.
-func Nobody() user.User {
-	return nobody
-}
-
-// NobodyIDs returns the integer UID and GID of the nobody user.
-func NobodyIDs() (uint32, uint32) {
-	return nobodyUID, nobodyGID
-}
-
-func init() {
-	u, err := internalLookupUser("nobody")
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to lookup nobody user: %v", err))
-	}
-	nobody = *u
-
-	uid, err := strconv.Atoi(u.Uid)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to parse nobody UID: %v", err))
-	}
-
-	gid, err := strconv.Atoi(u.Gid)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to parse nobody GID: %v", err))
-	}
-
-	nobodyUID, nobodyGID = uint32(uid), uint32(gid)
-}