diff --git a/cmd/ethkey/changepassword.go b/cmd/ethkey/changepassword.go
index 5689c2661..32fde4ed6 100644
--- a/cmd/ethkey/changepassword.go
+++ b/cmd/ethkey/changepassword.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ Change the password of a keyfile.`,
 		}
 
 		// Then write the new keyfile in place of the old one.
-		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(keyfilepath, newJson, 600); err != nil {
+		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(keyfilepath, newJson, 0600); err != nil {
 			utils.Fatalf("Error writing new keyfile to disk: %v", err)
 		}