diff --git a/tensorflow/java/maven/proto/pom.xml b/tensorflow/java/maven/proto/pom.xml
index aa4a9bb4618ddd..b78acaaf1e5c26 100644
--- a/tensorflow/java/maven/proto/pom.xml
+++ b/tensorflow/java/maven/proto/pom.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <version>3.9.2</version>
+      <version>3.16.1</version>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>