diff --git a/tests/common/rmdir_failure.c b/tests/common/rmdir_failure.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9d775b10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/common/rmdir_failure.c
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/* 
+ * gcc rmdir_failure.c -o rmdir_failure.so -shared -ldl 
+ * LD_PRELOAD=./rmdir_failure.so FAILURE_PATH=/etc/shadow ./test /etc/shadow
+ */
+
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+
+typedef int (*rmdir_type) (const char *path);
+static rmdir_type next_rmdir;
+
+static const char *failure_path = NULL;
+
+int rmdir (const char *path)
+{
+	if (NULL == next_rmdir)
+	{
+		next_rmdir = dlsym (RTLD_NEXT, "rmdir");
+		assert (NULL != next_rmdir);
+	}
+	if (NULL == failure_path) {
+		failure_path = getenv ("FAILURE_PATH");
+		if (NULL == failure_path) {
+			fputs ("No FAILURE_PATH defined\n", stderr);
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (   (NULL != path)
+	    && (NULL != failure_path)
+	    && (strcmp (path, failure_path) == 0))
+	{
+		fprintf (stderr, "rmdir FAILURE %s\n", path);
+		errno = EBUSY;
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return next_rmdir (path);
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/common/unlink_failure.c b/tests/common/unlink_failure.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2281c8af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/common/unlink_failure.c
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/* 
+ * gcc unlink_failure.c -o unlink_failure.so -shared -ldl 
+ * LD_PRELOAD=./unlink_failure.so FAILURE_PATH=/etc/shadow ./test /etc/shadow
+ */
+
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+
+typedef int (*unlink_type) (const char *path);
+static unlink_type next_unlink;
+
+static const char *failure_path = NULL;
+
+int unlink (const char *path)
+{
+	if (NULL == next_unlink)
+	{
+		next_unlink = dlsym (RTLD_NEXT, "unlink");
+		assert (NULL != next_unlink);
+	}
+	if (NULL == failure_path) {
+		failure_path = getenv ("FAILURE_PATH");
+		if (NULL == failure_path) {
+			fputs ("No FAILURE_PATH defined\n", stderr);
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (   (NULL != path)
+	    && (NULL != failure_path)
+	    && (strcmp (path, failure_path) == 0))
+	{
+		fprintf (stderr, "unlink FAILURE %s\n", path);
+		errno = EBUSY;
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return next_unlink (path);
+}
+