diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 1341f216f6e43..a3fb17c51786b 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -89,12 +89,12 @@ flexible messaging model and an intuitive client API.</description>
     <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
     <project.reporting.outputEncoding>UTF-8</project.reporting.outputEncoding>
     <redirectTestOutputToFile>true</redirectTestOutputToFile>
-    <test.additional.args></test.additional.args>
+    <test.additional.args/>
     <testReuseFork>true</testReuseFork>
     <testForkCount>4</testForkCount>
     <testRealAWS>false</testRealAWS>
     <testRetryCount>1</testRetryCount>
-    <testJacocoAgentArgument></testJacocoAgentArgument>
+    <testJacocoAgentArgument/>
     <docker.organization>apachepulsar</docker.organization>
     <skipSourceReleaseAssembly>false</skipSourceReleaseAssembly>
     <skipBuildDistribution>false</skipBuildDistribution>
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ flexible messaging model and an intuitive client API.</description>
     <aircompressor.version>0.20</aircompressor.version>
     <asynchttpclient.version>2.12.1</asynchttpclient.version>
     <jcommander.version>1.78</jcommander.version>
-    <commons-lang3.version>3.11</commons-lang3.version>
+    <commons-lang3.version>3.18.0</commons-lang3.version>
     <commons-configuration.version>1.10</commons-configuration.version>
     <commons-io.version>2.14.0</commons-io.version>
     <commons-codec.version>1.15</commons-codec.version>