diff --git a/src/avian/machine.h b/src/avian/machine.h
index ae8fe8e749..213e0bbe14 100644
--- a/src/avian/machine.h
+++ b/src/avian/machine.h
@@ -1263,7 +1263,7 @@ class Machine {
   Thread* exclusive;
   Thread* finalizeThread;
   Reference* jniReferences;
-  const char** properties;
+  char** properties;
   unsigned propertyCount;
   const char** arguments;
   unsigned argumentCount;
diff --git a/src/jnienv.cpp b/src/jnienv.cpp
index 420feaec12..725cbe354b 100644
--- a/src/jnienv.cpp
+++ b/src/jnienv.cpp
@@ -3944,10 +3944,10 @@ JNI_CreateJavaVM(Machine** m, Thread** t, void* args)
   }
 
   unsigned cpl = strlen(classpath);
-  RUNTIME_ARRAY(char, classpathProperty, cpl + sizeof(CLASSPATH_PROPERTY) + 1);
+  RUNTIME_ARRAY(char, classpathProperty, cpl + strlen(CLASSPATH_PROPERTY) + 2);
   if (addClasspathProperty) {
     char* p = RUNTIME_ARRAY_BODY(classpathProperty);
-    local::append(&p, CLASSPATH_PROPERTY, sizeof(CLASSPATH_PROPERTY), '=');
+    local::append(&p, CLASSPATH_PROPERTY, strlen(CLASSPATH_PROPERTY), '=');
     local::append(&p, classpath, cpl, 0);
     *(propertyPointer++) = RUNTIME_ARRAY_BODY(classpathProperty);
   }
@@ -3962,6 +3962,8 @@ JNI_CreateJavaVM(Machine** m, Thread** t, void* args)
     (s, h, bf, af, p, c, properties, propertyCount, arguments, a->nOptions,
      stackLimit);
 
+  h->free(properties, sizeof(const char*) * propertyCount);
+
   *t = p->makeThread(*m, 0, 0);
 
   enter(*t, Thread::ActiveState);
diff --git a/src/machine.cpp b/src/machine.cpp
index 74719cdbc2..29f1a8a270 100644
--- a/src/machine.cpp
+++ b/src/machine.cpp
@@ -3119,7 +3119,6 @@ Machine::Machine(System* system, Heap* heap, Finder* bootFinder,
   exclusive(0),
   finalizeThread(0),
   jniReferences(0),
-  properties(properties),
   propertyCount(propertyCount),
   arguments(arguments),
   argumentCount(argumentCount),
@@ -3156,6 +3155,15 @@ Machine::Machine(System* system, Heap* heap, Finder* bootFinder,
 
   populateJNITables(&javaVMVTable, &jniEnvVTable);
 
+  // Copying the properties memory (to avoid memory crashes)
+  this->properties = (char**)heap->allocate(sizeof(char*) * propertyCount);
+  for (unsigned int i = 0; i < propertyCount; i++)
+  {
+    size_t length = strlen(properties[i]) + 1; // +1 for null-terminating char
+    this->properties[i] = (char*)heap->allocate(sizeof(char) * length);
+    memcpy(this->properties[i], properties[i], length);
+  }
+
   const char* bootstrapProperty = findProperty(this, BOOTSTRAP_PROPERTY);
   const char* bootstrapPropertyDup = bootstrapProperty ? strdup(bootstrapProperty) : 0;
   const char* bootstrapPropertyEnd = bootstrapPropertyDup + (bootstrapPropertyDup ? strlen(bootstrapPropertyDup) : 0);
@@ -3222,6 +3230,10 @@ Machine::dispose()
 
   heap->free(arguments, sizeof(const char*) * argumentCount);
 
+  for (unsigned int i = 0; i < propertyCount; i++)
+  {
+    heap->free(properties[i], sizeof(char) * (strlen(properties[i]) + 1));
+  }
   heap->free(properties, sizeof(const char*) * propertyCount);
 
   static_cast<HeapClient*>(heapClient)->dispose();