diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index b6185be55d..71790e97d2 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ updates:
         # We deliberately want to keep this older version of Byte Buddy for our runtime attach test
         versions: ["<=1.9.16"]
       - dependency-name: "org.slf4j:slf4j-api"
-        # A static arbitrary version used within our external plugin test
-        versions: ["<=1.7.25"]
+        # A static arbitrary version used within our external plugin test + latest for java 7
+        versions: ["<=1.7.25", "1.7.36"]
       # Since these AWS dependencies are heavy and are being released very frequently, we ignore in the weekly update and update monthly
       - dependency-name: "com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3"
       - dependency-name: "com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-dynamodb"
diff --git a/apm-agent-plugins/apm-servlet-jakarta-test/pom.xml b/apm-agent-plugins/apm-servlet-jakarta-test/pom.xml
index c4fbf84421..43187cf39e 100644
--- a/apm-agent-plugins/apm-servlet-jakarta-test/pom.xml
+++ b/apm-agent-plugins/apm-servlet-jakarta-test/pom.xml
@@ -62,12 +62,12 @@
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
             <artifactId>slf4j-api</artifactId>
-            <version>1.7.36</version>
+            <version>${version.slf4j}</version>
         </dependency>
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
             <artifactId>slf4j-simple</artifactId>
-            <version>1.7.36</version>
+            <version>${version.slf4j}</version>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
 </project>
diff --git a/integration-tests/external-plugin-test/plugin-instrumentation-target/pom.xml b/integration-tests/external-plugin-test/plugin-instrumentation-target/pom.xml
index 78f9f5aa13..5e12173971 100644
--- a/integration-tests/external-plugin-test/plugin-instrumentation-target/pom.xml
+++ b/integration-tests/external-plugin-test/plugin-instrumentation-target/pom.xml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
             <artifactId>slf4j-api</artifactId>
-            <version>1.7.36</version>
+            <version>${version.slf4j}</version>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
 </project>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index c81ae46b47..820740503b 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@
         <version.junit-vintage-engine>5.9.0</version.junit-vintage-engine>
         <version.logback>1.2.3</version.logback>
         <version.okhttp>4.9.1</version.okhttp>
+        <!-- this is the last version of slf4j that is compatible with Java 7-->
         <version.slf4j>1.7.36</version.slf4j>
         <!-- this is the last version of log4j that is compatible with Java 7. Due to a known vulnerability
         (https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-9488#vulnCurrentDescriptionTitle), the SMTP appender is