diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index e8e221d..ee99c71 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -119,11 +119,11 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <version>3.16.1</version>
+      <version>3.16.3</version>
       <!--
          We are being explicit about version here and overriding the
          spark default of 2.5.0 because KCL appears to have introduced
-         a dependency on protobuf 3.16.1 somewhere between KCL 1.4.0 and 1.6.1.
+         a dependency on protobuf 3.16.3 somewhere between KCL 1.4.0 and 1.6.1.
        -->
     </dependency>
     <dependency>