diff --git a/src/borg/testsuite/__init__.py b/src/borg/testsuite/__init__.py
index ea7c464786..6339291441 100644
--- a/src/borg/testsuite/__init__.py
+++ b/src/borg/testsuite/__init__.py
@@ -131,6 +131,34 @@ def is_root():
         return os.getuid() == 0
 
 
+@functools.lru_cache
+def can_revoke_read_access():
+    """Return True if taking away our own read permissions for a file really works.
+
+    Highly privileged users can read files no matter what the permissions say: root ignores
+    the permission bits, and on cygwin a user holding SeBackupPrivilege bypasses the ACL
+    checks (cygwin always opens files with FILE_OPEN_FOR_BACKUP_INTENT). Tests that need an
+    unreadable file must be skipped for such users.
+    """
+    if is_win32:
+        # there, read access is revoked via a deny ACE (see the icacls calls in the tests)
+        # rather than via chmod, and such an ACE is honoured also for privileged users.
+        return True
+    with unopened_tempfile() as filepath:
+        with open(filepath, "wb") as fd:
+            fd.write(b"secret")
+        os.chmod(filepath, 0o000)
+        try:
+            with open(filepath, "rb") as fd:
+                fd.read(1)
+        except OSError:
+            return True  # good, we can not read it any more.
+        else:
+            return False
+        finally:
+            os.chmod(filepath, 0o600)  # make sure the tempfile can be cleaned up.
+
+
 @functools.lru_cache
 def are_symlinks_supported():
     with unopened_tempfile() as filepath:
diff --git a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/create_cmd_test.py b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/create_cmd_test.py
index c8d8077f22..30edb17d46 100644
--- a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/create_cmd_test.py
+++ b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/create_cmd_test.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
     is_utime_fully_supported,
     is_birthtime_fully_supported,
     same_ts_ns,
-    is_root,
+    can_revoke_read_access,
     granularity_sleep,
 )
 from . import (
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ def test_create_erroneous_file(archivers, request):
     assert "input/file3" in out
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif(is_root(), reason="test must not be run as (fake)root")
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not can_revoke_read_access(), reason="can not revoke our own read permissions")
 def test_create_no_permission_file(archivers, request):
     archiver = request.getfixturevalue(archivers)
     file_path = os.path.join(archiver.input_path, "file")
@@ -317,7 +317,9 @@ def test_create_no_permission_file(archivers, request):
     create_regular_file(archiver.input_path, file_path + "3", size=1000)
     # revoke read permissions on file2 for everybody, including us:
     if is_win32:
-        subprocess.run(["icacls.exe", file_path + "2", "/deny", "everyone:(R)"])
+        # "*S-1-1-0" is the well-known SID of the "Everyone" group. Using the SID instead of the
+        # group name keeps this working on non-English Windows installations.
+        subprocess.run(["icacls.exe", file_path + "2", "/deny", "*S-1-1-0:(R)"])
     else:
         # note: this will NOT take away read permissions for root
         os.chmod(file_path + "2", 0o000)