diff --git a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/pom.xml b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/pom.xml
index aaec2bb..d5ebe25 100644
--- a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/pom.xml
+++ b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/pom.xml
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ under the License.
       <dependency>
         <groupId>org.junit</groupId>
         <artifactId>junit-bom</artifactId>
-        <version>5.10.2</version>
+        <version>5.11.0</version>
         <type>pom</type>
         <scope>import</scope>
       </dependency>
@@ -116,7 +116,6 @@ under the License.
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.codehaus.plexus</groupId>
       <artifactId>plexus-utils</artifactId>
-      <version>3.5.1</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.codehaus.plexus</groupId>
diff --git a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/AbstractMojoTestCase.java b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/AbstractMojoTestCase.java
index c2b2309..8c11a8f 100644
--- a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/AbstractMojoTestCase.java
+++ b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/AbstractMojoTestCase.java
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@
 import org.codehaus.plexus.configuration.xml.XmlPlexusConfiguration;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.context.Context;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.InterpolationFilterReader;
-import org.codehaus.plexus.util.ReaderFactory;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.ReflectionUtils;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.StringUtils;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.XmlStreamReader;
@@ -297,7 +296,7 @@ protected <T extends Mojo> T lookupEmptyMojo(String goal, String pluginPom) thro
     protected <T extends Mojo> T lookupMojo(String goal, File pom) throws Exception {
         File pluginPom = new File(getBasedir(), "pom.xml");
 
-        Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(pluginPom));
+        Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(pluginPom));
 
         String artifactId = pluginPomDom.getChild("artifactId").getValue();
 
@@ -321,7 +320,7 @@ protected <T extends Mojo> T lookupMojo(String goal, File pom) throws Exception
     protected <T extends Mojo> T lookupEmptyMojo(String goal, File pom) throws Exception {
         File pluginPom = new File(getBasedir(), "pom.xml");
 
-        Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(pluginPom));
+        Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(pluginPom));
 
         String artifactId = pluginPomDom.getChild("artifactId").getValue();
 
@@ -507,7 +506,7 @@ private void finalizeMojoConfiguration(MojoExecution mojoExecution) {
      */
     protected PlexusConfiguration extractPluginConfiguration(String artifactId, File pom) throws Exception {
 
-        try (Reader reader = ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(pom)) {
+        try (Reader reader = new XmlStreamReader(pom)) {
             Xpp3Dom pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(reader);
             return extractPluginConfiguration(artifactId, pomDom);
         }
diff --git a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/junit5/MojoExtension.java b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/junit5/MojoExtension.java
index 247b7f9..3290ab3 100644
--- a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/junit5/MojoExtension.java
+++ b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/junit5/MojoExtension.java
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@
 import org.codehaus.plexus.configuration.xml.XmlPlexusConfiguration;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.testing.PlexusExtension;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.InterpolationFilterReader;
-import org.codehaus.plexus.util.ReaderFactory;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.ReflectionUtils;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.XmlStreamReader;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.Xpp3Dom;
@@ -203,18 +202,18 @@ private Mojo lookupMojo(
         Xpp3Dom pomDom;
         if (pom.startsWith("file:")) {
             Path path = Paths.get(getBasedir()).resolve(pom.substring("file:".length()));
-            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(path.toFile()));
+            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(path.toFile()));
         } else if (pom.startsWith("classpath:")) {
             URL url = holder.getResource(pom.substring("classpath:".length()));
             if (url == null) {
                 throw new IllegalStateException("Unable to find pom on classpath: " + pom);
             }
-            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(url.openStream()));
+            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(url.openStream()));
         } else if (pom.contains("<project>")) {
             pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new StringReader(pom));
         } else {
             Path path = Paths.get(getBasedir()).resolve(pom);
-            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(path.toFile()));
+            pomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(path.toFile()));
         }
         Xpp3Dom pluginConfiguration = extractPluginConfiguration(coord[1], pomDom);
         if (!mojoParameters.isEmpty()) {
@@ -238,7 +237,7 @@ protected String[] mojoCoordinates(String goal) throws Exception {
             return goal.split(":");
         } else {
             Path pluginPom = Paths.get(getBasedir(), "pom.xml");
-            Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(pluginPom.toFile()));
+            Xpp3Dom pluginPomDom = Xpp3DomBuilder.build(new XmlStreamReader(pluginPom.toFile()));
             String artifactId = pluginPomDom.getChild("artifactId").getValue();
             String groupId = resolveFromRootThenParent(pluginPomDom, "groupId");
             String version = resolveFromRootThenParent(pluginPomDom, "version");
@@ -263,11 +262,10 @@ protected Mojo lookupMojo(String[] coord, Xpp3Dom pluginConfiguration, PluginDes
         }
         if (pluginConfiguration != null) {
             MavenSession session = getContainer().lookup(MavenSession.class);
-            MavenProject project;
             try {
-                project = getContainer().lookup(MavenProject.class);
-            } catch (ComponentLookupException e) {
-                project = null;
+                getContainer().lookup(MavenProject.class);
+            } catch (ComponentLookupException ignore) {
+                // nothing
             }
             MojoExecution mojoExecution;
             try {
diff --git a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/stubs/MavenProjectStub.java b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/stubs/MavenProjectStub.java
index 513629b..ab2e517 100644
--- a/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/stubs/MavenProjectStub.java
+++ b/maven-plugin-testing-harness/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/testing/stubs/MavenProjectStub.java
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 import org.apache.maven.model.io.xpp3.MavenXpp3Reader;
 import org.apache.maven.project.MavenProject;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.PlexusTestCase;
-import org.codehaus.plexus.util.ReaderFactory;
+import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.XmlStreamReader;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.Xpp3Dom;
 import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.pull.XmlPullParserException;
 
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ protected void readModel(File pomFile) {
             pomFile = new File(getBasedir(), pomFile.getPath());
         }
         try {
-            setModel(new MavenXpp3Reader().read(ReaderFactory.newXmlReader(pomFile)));
+            setModel(new MavenXpp3Reader().read(new XmlStreamReader(pomFile)));
         } catch (IOException e) {
             throw new RuntimeException("Failed to read POM file: " + pomFile, e);
         } catch (XmlPullParserException e) {
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index e1a25e2..14a9a9d 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ under the License.
   <parent>
     <groupId>org.apache.maven</groupId>
     <artifactId>maven-parent</artifactId>
-    <version>42</version>
+    <version>43</version>
     <relativePath />
   </parent>
 
@@ -64,8 +64,7 @@ under the License.
   </distributionManagement>
 
   <properties>
-    <surefire.version>3.2.5</surefire.version>
-    <mavenVersion>3.9.6</mavenVersion>
+    <mavenVersion>3.9.9</mavenVersion>
     <maven.site.path>plugin-testing-archives/LATEST</maven.site.path>
     <javaVersion>8</javaVersion>
     <project.build.outputTimestamp>2023-11-07T21:58:12Z</project.build.outputTimestamp>