diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 432ac0f94300243549e66c1cdbbfa9f479d8deaa..0cfedfd92d8daadaad750421f695455a1b72b8a3 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-image: gradle:7.3.3-jdk11
+image: gradle:7.4.1-jdk11
 
 variables:
   # Set the location of the dependency cache to a local directory, so that it
diff --git a/asm-test/src/main/java/org/objectweb/asm/test/ClassFile.java b/asm-test/src/main/java/org/objectweb/asm/test/ClassFile.java
index 0b138907cd7cfb3117b9e5704760127e97175633..c4fc9aba053127d0129776a99520f4a57da3c486 100644
--- a/asm-test/src/main/java/org/objectweb/asm/test/ClassFile.java
+++ b/asm-test/src/main/java/org/objectweb/asm/test/ClassFile.java
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ public class ClassFile {
       for (Class<?> parameterType : constructor.getParameterTypes()) {
         arguments.add(Array.get(Array.newInstance(parameterType, 1), 0));
       }
-      constructor.setAccessible(true);
+      constructor.setAccessible(true); // NOPMD(AvoidAccessibilityAlteration): ok for tests.
       return constructor.newInstance(arguments.toArray(new Object[0]));
     }
     return null;
diff --git a/asm-util/src/test/java/org/objectweb/asm/util/CheckMethodAdapterTest.java b/asm-util/src/test/java/org/objectweb/asm/util/CheckMethodAdapterTest.java
index 091177efbddaed01d23a4f218948c5cabaf001ff..89dbc1216e6869393bc4d2d7840921a2649b3c55 100644
--- a/asm-util/src/test/java/org/objectweb/asm/util/CheckMethodAdapterTest.java
+++ b/asm-util/src/test/java/org/objectweb/asm/util/CheckMethodAdapterTest.java
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class CheckMethodAdapterTest extends AsmTest implements Opcodes {
     checkMethodAdapter.visitInsn(NOP);
 
     Executable visitFrame =
-        () -> checkMethodAdapter.visitFrame(F_FULL, 1, new Object[] {new Float(0.0f)}, 0, null);
+        () -> checkMethodAdapter.visitFrame(F_FULL, 1, new Object[] {Float.valueOf(0.0f)}, 0, null);
 
     Exception exception = assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, visitFrame);
     assertEquals("Invalid stack frame value: 0.0", exception.getMessage());
diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index a740bf6f2e55061782ec84e16a360bdd6ab0c15c..1022b3519964594ac07820aa6a9237571266fbae 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@
 
 buildscript {
   repositories { mavenCentral() }
-  dependencies { classpath 'org.netbeans.tools:sigtest-maven-plugin:1.3' }
+  dependencies { classpath 'org.netbeans.tools:sigtest-maven-plugin:1.5' }
 }
 
-plugins { id 'biz.aQute.bnd.builder' version '6.1.0' apply false }
+plugins { id 'biz.aQute.bnd.builder' version '6.2.0' apply false }
 plugins { id 'com.github.sherter.google-java-format' version '0.9' apply false }
 plugins { id 'me.champeau.gradle.jmh' version '0.5.3' apply false }
 plugins { id 'org.sonarqube' version '3.3' apply false }
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ project(':tools:bnd-module-plugin') {
   description = "bnd plugin to build moduleinfo with ${rootProject.description}"
   // TODO: this compiles asm twice (here and in :asm), find a way to avoid this.
   sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs += project(':asm').sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs
-  depends = ['biz.aQute.bnd:biz.aQute.bnd:6.1.0']
+  depends = ['biz.aQute.bnd:biz.aQute.bnd:6.2.0']
 }
 
 project(':tools:retrofitter') {
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ project(':tools:retrofitter') {
 // and tested with :asm-test and JUnit.
 subprojects {
   apply plugin: 'com.github.sherter.google-java-format'
-  googleJavaFormat.toolVersion = '1.13.0'
+  googleJavaFormat.toolVersion = '1.15.0'
   googleJavaFormat.exclude 'src/resources/java/**/*'
   
   // Check the coding style with Checkstyle. Fail in case of error or warning.
diff --git a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index d10985fdf1cdddbd30cb3862ba48518865ac6f23..4462a0e427efc68c435cdb381c864a7a66bc7439 100644
--- a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.3.3-bin.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.4.1-bin.zip
diff --git a/tools/pmd.xml b/tools/pmd.xml
index 9b098ed778edac4c2205e2a76373f2af800a5902..a4d73723a9c97ba3c5431cb347dca85a33aa9733 100644
--- a/tools/pmd.xml
+++ b/tools/pmd.xml
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
     <exclude name="StaticEJBFieldShouldBeFinal" />
     <exclude name="UseProperClassLoader" />
   </rule>
-  <rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ReturnEmptyArrayRatherThanNull">
+  <rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ReturnEmptyCollectionRatherThanNull">
     <properties>
       <property name="violationSuppressXPath"
           value="//MethodDeclaration[@Private='true']"/>