diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index 7ffd913a8c..3b32f99c0b 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -368,6 +368,9 @@ Release 2.5.0 - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-10549. MAX_SUBST and varPat should be final in Configuration.java.
     (Gera Shegalov via cnauroth)
 
+    HADOOP-10471. Reduce the visibility of constants in ProxyUsers.
+    (Benoy Antony via wheat9)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
   BUG FIXES 
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/security/authorize/ProxyUsers.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/security/authorize/ProxyUsers.java
index 7da5014e33..f83560c3bd 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/security/authorize/ProxyUsers.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/security/authorize/ProxyUsers.java
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@
 public class ProxyUsers {
 
   private static final String CONF_HOSTS = ".hosts";
-  public static final String CONF_GROUPS = ".groups";
-  public static final String CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER = "hadoop.proxyuser.";
-  public static final String CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER_RE = "hadoop\\.proxyuser\\.";
+  private static final String CONF_GROUPS = ".groups";
+  private static final String CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER = "hadoop.proxyuser.";
+  private static final String CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER_RE = "hadoop\\.proxyuser\\.";
   public static final String CONF_HADOOP_PROXYSERVERS = "hadoop.proxyservers";
   
   private static boolean init = false;
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/common/TestJspHelper.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/common/TestJspHelper.java
index 1b45e33fe5..f6e63ccaf1 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/common/TestJspHelper.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/common/TestJspHelper.java
@@ -284,8 +284,8 @@ public void testGetProxyUgi() throws IOException {
     String user = "TheNurse";
     conf.set(DFSConfigKeys.HADOOP_SECURITY_AUTHENTICATION, "kerberos");
     
-    conf.set(ProxyUsers.CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER+realUser+".groups", "*");
-    conf.set(ProxyUsers.CONF_HADOOP_PROXYUSER+realUser+".hosts", "*");
+    conf.set(ProxyUsers.getProxySuperuserGroupConfKey(realUser), "*");
+    conf.set(ProxyUsers.getProxySuperuserIpConfKey(realUser), "*");
     ProxyUsers.refreshSuperUserGroupsConfiguration(conf);
     UserGroupInformation.setConfiguration(conf);
     UserGroupInformation ugi;