diff --git a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/actor/dungeon/Children.scala b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
index 36feaf8e812..b690ea9456c 100644
--- a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
+++ b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/actor/dungeon/Children.scala
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ private[pekko] trait Children { this: ActorCell =>
 
   import ChildrenContainer._
 
-  @nowarn("msg=never used")
+  @nowarn("msg=never used|is never updated")
   @volatile
   private var _childrenRefsDoNotCallMeDirectly: ChildrenContainer = EmptyChildrenContainer
 
diff --git a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/AskSupport.scala b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/AskSupport.scala
index e5a12abca17..db13aecd7ac 100644
--- a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/AskSupport.scala
+++ b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/AskSupport.scala
@@ -537,11 +537,11 @@ private[pekko] final class PromiseActorRef(
    * Stopped               => stopped, path not yet created
    */
   @volatile
-  @nowarn("msg=never used")
+  @nowarn("msg=is never updated")
   private[this] var _stateDoNotCallMeDirectly: AnyRef = _
 
   @volatile
-  @nowarn("msg=never used")
+  @nowarn("msg=is never updated")
   private[this] var _watchedByDoNotCallMeDirectly: Set[ActorRef] = ActorCell.emptyActorRefSet
 
   @nowarn private def _preventPrivateUnusedErasure = {
diff --git a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/CircuitBreaker.scala b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/CircuitBreaker.scala
index f848b068e09..00ae9a65664 100644
--- a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/CircuitBreaker.scala
+++ b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/pattern/CircuitBreaker.scala
@@ -294,12 +294,14 @@ class CircuitBreaker(
   /**
    * Holds reference to current state of CircuitBreaker - *access only via helper methods*
    */
+  @nowarn("msg=is never updated")
   @volatile
   private[this] var _currentStateDoNotCallMeDirectly: State = Closed
 
   /**
    * Holds reference to current resetTimeout of CircuitBreaker - *access only via helper methods*
    */
+  @nowarn("msg=is never updated")
   @volatile
   private[this] var _currentResetTimeoutDoNotCallMeDirectly: FiniteDuration = resetTimeout
 
diff --git a/project/Dependencies.scala b/project/Dependencies.scala
index 03c02c4ee84..ecf1b1d40c5 100644
--- a/project/Dependencies.scala
+++ b/project/Dependencies.scala
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ object Dependencies {
     }
   }
 
-  val scala212Version = "2.12.16"
-  val scala213Version = "2.13.8"
+  val scala212Version = "2.12.17"
+  val scala213Version = "2.13.10"
   // To get the fix for https://github.com/lampepfl/dotty/issues/13106
   // and restored static forwarders
   val scala3Version = "3.1.2"
diff --git a/project/JdkOptions.scala b/project/JdkOptions.scala
index 25d4076552a..cab806a78b7 100644
--- a/project/JdkOptions.scala
+++ b/project/JdkOptions.scala
@@ -57,14 +57,8 @@ object JdkOptions extends AutoPlugin {
       targetSystemJdk,
       jdk8home,
       fullJavaHomes,
-      Seq(if (scalaVersion.startsWith("3.")) "-Xtarget:8" else "-target:jvm-1.8"),
-      // '-release 8' is not enough, for some reason we need the 8 rt.jar
-      // explicitly. To test whether this has the desired effect, compile
-      // pekko-remote and check the invocation of 'ByteBuffer.clear()' in
-      // EnvelopeBuffer.class with 'javap -c': it should refer to
-      // ""java/nio/ByteBuffer.clear:()Ljava/nio/Buffer" and not
-      // "java/nio/ByteBuffer.clear:()Ljava/nio/ByteBuffer". Issue #27079
-      (java8home: File) => Seq("-release", "8", "-javabootclasspath", java8home + "/jre/lib/rt.jar"))
+      Seq(if (scalaVersion.startsWith("3.")) "-Xtarget:8" else "release:8"),
+      (java8home: File) => Seq("-release", "8"))
   def targetJdkJavacOptions(
       targetSystemJdk: Boolean,
       jdk8home: Option[File],
@@ -74,9 +68,7 @@ object JdkOptions extends AutoPlugin {
       jdk8home,
       fullJavaHomes,
       Nil,
-      // '-release 8' would be a neater option here, but is currently not an
-      // option because it doesn't provide access to `sun.misc.Unsafe` #27079
-      (java8home: File) => Seq("-source", "8", "-target", "8", "-bootclasspath", java8home + "/jre/lib/rt.jar"))
+      (java8home: File) => Seq("-source", "8", "-target", "8"))
 
   private def selectOptions(
       targetSystemJdk: Boolean,
diff --git a/project/PekkoDisciplinePlugin.scala b/project/PekkoDisciplinePlugin.scala
index d0656ef101c..6a9c3b8af6d 100644
--- a/project/PekkoDisciplinePlugin.scala
+++ b/project/PekkoDisciplinePlugin.scala
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ object PekkoDisciplinePlugin extends AutoPlugin {
     "pekko-stream-tests-tck",
     "pekko-testkit")
 
-  val defaultScalaOptions = "-Wconf:cat=unused-nowarn:s,any:e"
+  val defaultScalaOptions = "-Wconf:cat=unused-nowarn:s,cat=lint-infer-any:s,any:e"
 
   lazy val nowarnSettings = Seq(
     Compile / scalacOptions ++= (
diff --git a/scripts/link-validator.conf b/scripts/link-validator.conf
index e19b92125a1..65dc4aa9fe4 100644
--- a/scripts/link-validator.conf
+++ b/scripts/link-validator.conf
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ site-link-validator {
     "https://javadoc.io/static/"
     # GitHub will block with "429 Too Many Requests"
     "https://github.com/"
-    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.8/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction1.html"
-    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.8/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction2.html"
-    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.8/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction3.html"
-    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.8/scala/runtime/AbstractPartialFunction.html"
+    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.10/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction1.html"
+    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.10/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction2.html"
+    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.10/scala/runtime/AbstractFunction3.html"
+    "https://www.scala-lang.org/api/2.13.10/scala/runtime/AbstractPartialFunction.html"
   ]
 
   non-https-whitelist = [