diff --git a/src/com/sap/piper/ConfigurationHelper.groovy b/src/com/sap/piper/ConfigurationHelper.groovy
index 7d733adebb..7bbfaa5f71 100644
--- a/src/com/sap/piper/ConfigurationHelper.groovy
+++ b/src/com/sap/piper/ConfigurationHelper.groovy
@@ -127,9 +127,11 @@ class ConfigurationHelper implements Serializable {
         handleValidationFailures()
         MapUtils.traverse(config, { v -> (v instanceof GString) ? v.toString() : v })
         if(config.verbose) step.echo "[${name}] Configuration: ${config}"
-        return config
+        return MapUtils.deepCopy(config)
     }
 
+
+
     /* private */ def getConfigPropertyNested(key) {
         return getConfigPropertyNested(config, key)
     }
diff --git a/src/com/sap/piper/MapUtils.groovy b/src/com/sap/piper/MapUtils.groovy
index 784a281e7a..d3cd329567 100644
--- a/src/com/sap/piper/MapUtils.groovy
+++ b/src/com/sap/piper/MapUtils.groovy
@@ -62,4 +62,45 @@ class MapUtils implements Serializable {
         }
         m.putAll(updates)
     }
+
+    /*
+     * Provides a new map with the same content like the original map.
+     * Nested Collections and Maps are copied. Values with are not
+     * Collections/Maps are not copied/cloned.
+     * <paranoia>&/ltThe keys are also not copied/cloned, even if they are
+     * Maps or Collections;paranoia>
+     */
+    static deepCopy(Map original) {
+        Map copy = [:]
+        for (def e : original.entrySet()) {
+            if(e.value == null) {
+                copy.put(e.key, e.value)
+            } else {
+                copy.put(e.key, deepCopy(e.value))
+            }
+        }
+        copy
+    }
+
+    /* private */ static deepCopy(Set original) {
+        Set copy = []
+        for(def e : original)
+            copy << deepCopy(e)
+        copy
+    }
+
+    /* private */ static deepCopy(List original) {
+        List copy = []
+        for(def e : original)
+            copy << deepCopy(e)
+        copy
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * In fact not a copy, but a catch all for everything not matching
+     * with the other signatures
+     */
+    /* private */ static deepCopy(def original) {
+        original
+    }
 }
diff --git a/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/MapUtilsTest.groovy b/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/MapUtilsTest.groovy
index 61a06aaf8b..6c63ccd142 100644
--- a/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/MapUtilsTest.groovy
+++ b/test/groovy/com/sap/piper/MapUtilsTest.groovy
@@ -50,4 +50,35 @@ class MapUtilsTest {
         MapUtils.traverse(m, { s -> (s.startsWith('x')) ? "replaced" : s})
         assert m == [a: 'replaced', m: [b: 'replaced', c: 'otherString']]
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void testDeepCopy() {
+
+        List l = ['a', 'b', 'c']
+
+        def original = [
+                list: l,
+                set: (Set)['1', '2'],
+                nextLevel: [
+                    list: ['x', 'y'],
+                    duplicate: l,
+                    set: (Set)[9, 8, 7]
+                ]
+            ]
+
+        def copy = MapUtils.deepCopy(original)
+
+        assert ! copy.is(original)
+        assert ! copy.list.is(original.list)
+        assert ! copy.set.is(original.set)
+        assert ! copy.nextLevel.list.is(original.nextLevel.list)
+        assert ! copy.nextLevel.set.is(original.nextLevel.set)
+        assert ! copy.nextLevel.duplicate.is(original.nextLevel.duplicate)
+
+        // Within the original identical list is used twice, but the
+        // assuption is that there are different lists in the copy.
+        assert ! copy.nextLevel.duplicate.is(copy.list)
+
+        assert copy == original
+    }
 }