diff --git a/enforcer-rules/src/it/return-type-mismatch/pom.xml b/enforcer-rules/src/it/return-type-mismatch/pom.xml
index 0d0948b72c..86a8adebe9 100644
--- a/enforcer-rules/src/it/return-type-mismatch/pom.xml
+++ b/enforcer-rules/src/it/return-type-mismatch/pom.xml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <version>3.12.4</version>
+      <version>3.16.3</version>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>