diff --git a/gnu/build/activation.scm b/gnu/build/activation.scm
index f8a34b021c7..e2d1734367d 100644
--- a/gnu/build/activation.scm
+++ b/gnu/build/activation.scm
@@ -321,13 +321,18 @@ EINVAL, ELOOP, etc."
                     ;; convention to be followed.
                     (source (canonicalize-path* (string-append etc "/" file))))
                 (rm-f target)
-                (if (string=? (basename target) "sudoers")
-                    (begin
-                      ;; /etc/sudoers must be a regular file.
-                      (copy-file source target)
-                      ;; XXX: dirty hack to meet sudo's expectations
-                      (chmod target #o440))
-                    (symlink source target)))) ;usual case
+                (cond ((string=? (basename target) "sudoers")
+                       (begin
+                         ;; /etc/sudoers must be a regular file.
+                         (copy-file source target)
+                         ;; XXX: dirty hack to meet sudo's expectations
+                         (chmod target #o440)))
+                      ((string=? (basename target) "hosts")
+                       ;; /etc/hosts must be a regular file, as some software
+                       ;; like vpn-slice expect to be able to write to it.
+                       (copy-file source target))
+                      (else             ;usual case
+                       (symlink source target)))))
             (scandir etc (negate dot-or-dot-dot?)
                      ;; The default is 'string-locale<?', but we don't have
                      ;; it when run from the initrd's statically-linked