diff --git a/java/debugger/impl/src/com/intellij/debugger/jdi/VirtualMachineProxyImpl.java b/java/debugger/impl/src/com/intellij/debugger/jdi/VirtualMachineProxyImpl.java
index aab8a453df82..5b80d5514371 100644
--- a/java/debugger/impl/src/com/intellij/debugger/jdi/VirtualMachineProxyImpl.java
+++ b/java/debugger/impl/src/com/intellij/debugger/jdi/VirtualMachineProxyImpl.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
  */
 package com.intellij.debugger.jdi;
 
+import com.intellij.Patches;
 import com.intellij.debugger.engine.DebugProcess;
 import com.intellij.debugger.engine.DebugProcessImpl;
 import com.intellij.debugger.engine.DebuggerManagerThreadImpl;
@@ -333,12 +334,14 @@ public class VirtualMachineProxyImpl implements JdiTimer, VirtualMachineProxy {
       LOG.info(e);
     }
 
-    // Memory leak workaround, see IDEA-163334
-    TargetVM target = ReflectionUtil.getField(myVirtualMachine.getClass(), myVirtualMachine, TargetVM.class, "target");
-    if (target != null) {
-      Thread controller = ReflectionUtil.getField(target.getClass(), target, Thread.class, "eventController");
-      if (controller != null) {
-        controller.stop();
+    if (Patches.JDK_BUG_EVENT_CONTROLLER_LEAK) {
+      // Memory leak workaround, see IDEA-163334
+      TargetVM target = ReflectionUtil.getField(myVirtualMachine.getClass(), myVirtualMachine, TargetVM.class, "target");
+      if (target != null) {
+        Thread controller = ReflectionUtil.getField(target.getClass(), target, Thread.class, "eventController");
+        if (controller != null) {
+          controller.stop();
+        }
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/Patches.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/Patches.java
index 41dd4f41ba27..6c91541c0fb7 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/Patches.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/Patches.java
@@ -77,6 +77,11 @@ public class Patches {
    */
   public static final boolean JDK_BUG_ID_8042123 = !SystemInfo.isJavaVersionAtLeast("1.8.0_40");
 
+  /**
+   * Enable workaround for jdk bug with leaking TargetVM.EventController, see IDEA-163334
+   */
+  public static final boolean JDK_BUG_EVENT_CONTROLLER_LEAK = true;
+
   /**
    * JDK on Mac detects font style for system fonts based only on their name (PostScript name).
    * This doesn't work for some fonts which don't use recognizable style suffixes in their names.