diff --git a/src/main/java/org/xerial/snappy/SnappyFramed.java b/src/main/java/org/xerial/snappy/SnappyFramed.java
index 0fef08b..97f0147 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/xerial/snappy/SnappyFramed.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/xerial/snappy/SnappyFramed.java
@@ -3,10 +3,22 @@
  */
 package org.xerial.snappy;
 
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.constant;
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.dropArguments;
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.filterReturnValue;
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.guardWithTest;
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.lookup;
+import static java.lang.invoke.MethodType.methodType;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle;
+import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.Lookup;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.nio.channels.ReadableByteChannel;
+import java.security.AccessController;
+import java.security.PrivilegedExceptionAction;
 import java.util.logging.Level;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
 
@@ -30,27 +42,76 @@ final class SnappyFramed
      * Sun specific mechanisms to clean up resources associated with direct byte buffers.
      */
     @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-    private static final Class<? extends ByteBuffer> SUN_DIRECT_BUFFER = (Class<? extends ByteBuffer>) lookupClassQuietly("sun.nio.ch.DirectBuffer");
-    private static final Method SUN_BUFFER_CLEANER;
-    private static final Method SUN_CLEANER_CLEAN;
+    static final Class<? extends ByteBuffer> DIRECT_BUFFER_CLAZZ = (Class<? extends ByteBuffer>) lookupClassQuietly("java.nio.DirectByteBuffer");
 
+    static final MethodHandle CLEAN_HANDLE;
+    
     static {
-        Method bufferCleaner = null;
-        Method cleanerClean = null;
+        // this approach is based off that used by apache lucene and documented here: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LUCENE-6989
+        // and https://github.com/apache/lucene-solr/blob/7e03427fa14a024ce257babcb8362d2451941e21/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/MMapDirectory.java
+        MethodHandle cleanHandle = null;
         try {
-            //operate under the assumption that if the sun direct buffer class exists,
-            //all of the sun classes exist
-            if (SUN_DIRECT_BUFFER != null) {
-                bufferCleaner = SUN_DIRECT_BUFFER.getMethod("cleaner", (Class[]) null);
-                Class<?> cleanClazz = lookupClassQuietly("sun.misc.Cleaner");
-                cleanerClean = cleanClazz.getMethod("clean", (Class[]) null);
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Throwable t) {
+            final PrivilegedExceptionAction<MethodHandle> action = new PrivilegedExceptionAction<MethodHandle>() {
+
+                @Override
+                public MethodHandle run() throws Exception {
+                    MethodHandle handle = null;
+                    if (DIRECT_BUFFER_CLAZZ != null) {
+                        final Lookup lookup = lookup();
+
+                        try {
+                            // sun.misc.Unsafe unmapping (Java 9+)
+                            final Class<?> unsafeClass = Class.forName("sun.misc.Unsafe");
+                            // first check if Unsafe has the right method, otherwise we can give up
+                            // without doing any security critical stuff:
+                            final MethodHandle unmapper = lookup.findVirtual(unsafeClass, "invokeCleaner", methodType(void.class, ByteBuffer.class));
+                            // fetch the unsafe instance and bind it to the virtual MH:
+                            final Field f = unsafeClass.getDeclaredField("theUnsafe");
+                            f.setAccessible(true);
+                            final Object theUnsafe = f.get(null);
+                            handle = unmapper.bindTo(theUnsafe);
+                        } catch (Exception e) {
+                            Logger.getLogger(SnappyFramed.class.getName()).log(Level.FINE, "unable to use java 9 Unsafe.invokeCleaner", e);
+                            
+                            // sun.misc.Cleaner unmapping (Java 8 and older)
+                            final Method m = DIRECT_BUFFER_CLAZZ.getMethod("cleaner");
+                            m.setAccessible(true);
+                            final MethodHandle directBufferCleanerMethod = lookup.unreflect(m);
+                            final Class<?> cleanerClass = directBufferCleanerMethod.type().returnType();
+
+                            /*
+                             * "Compile" a MethodHandle that basically is equivalent to the following code: 
+                             *  void unmapper(ByteBuffer byteBuffer) 
+                             *  { 
+                             *      sun.misc.Cleaner cleaner = ((java.nio.DirectByteBuffer) byteBuffer).cleaner(); 
+                             *      if (nonNull(cleaner)) 
+                             *      { 
+                             *          cleaner.clean(); 
+                             *      } 
+                             *      else 
+                             *      { 
+                             *          // the noop is needed because MethodHandles#guardWithTest always needs ELSE
+                             *          noop(cleaner);  
+                             *      } 
+                             *  }
+                             */
+                            final MethodHandle cleanMethod = lookup.findVirtual(cleanerClass, "clean", methodType(void.class));
+                            final MethodHandle nonNullTest = lookup.findStatic(SnappyFramed.class, "nonNull", methodType(boolean.class, Object.class)).asType(methodType(boolean.class, cleanerClass));
+                            final MethodHandle noop = dropArguments(constant(Void.class, null).asType(methodType(void.class)), 0, cleanerClass);
+                            handle = filterReturnValue(directBufferCleanerMethod, guardWithTest(nonNullTest, cleanMethod, noop)).asType(methodType(void.class, ByteBuffer.class));
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    return handle;
+                }
+            };
+
+            cleanHandle = AccessController.doPrivileged(action);
+
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
             Logger.getLogger(SnappyFramed.class.getName()).log(Level.FINE, "Exception occurred attempting to lookup Sun specific DirectByteBuffer cleaner classes.", t);
         }
-        SUN_BUFFER_CLEANER = bufferCleaner;
-        SUN_CLEANER_CLEAN = cleanerClean;
+        CLEAN_HANDLE = cleanHandle;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -170,18 +231,34 @@ final class SnappyFramed
      *
      * @param buffer The {@code ByteBuffer} to release. Must not be {@code null}. Must be  {@link ByteBuffer#isDirect() direct}.
      */
-    static void releaseDirectByteBuffer(ByteBuffer buffer)
+    static void releaseDirectByteBuffer(final ByteBuffer buffer)
     {
         assert buffer != null && buffer.isDirect();
 
-        if (SUN_DIRECT_BUFFER != null && SUN_DIRECT_BUFFER.isAssignableFrom(buffer.getClass())) {
+        if (CLEAN_HANDLE != null && DIRECT_BUFFER_CLAZZ.isInstance(buffer)) {
             try {
-                Object cleaner = SUN_BUFFER_CLEANER.invoke(buffer, (Object[]) null);
-                SUN_CLEANER_CLEAN.invoke(cleaner, (Object[]) null);
-            }
-            catch (Throwable t) {
+                final PrivilegedExceptionAction<Void> pea = new PrivilegedExceptionAction<Void>() {
+                    @Override
+                    public Void run() throws Exception {
+                        try {
+                            CLEAN_HANDLE.invokeExact(buffer);
+                        } catch (Exception e) {
+                            throw e;
+                        } catch (Throwable t) {
+                            //this will be an error
+                            throw new RuntimeException(t);
+                        }
+                        return null;
+                    }
+                };
+                AccessController.doPrivileged(pea);
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
                 Logger.getLogger(SnappyFramed.class.getName()).log(Level.FINE, "Exception occurred attempting to clean up Sun specific DirectByteBuffer.", t);
             }
         }
     }
+
+    static boolean nonNull(Object o) {
+        return o != null;
+    }
 }