#vulnerable code 
                                private void useLatestReleases( ModifiedPomXMLEventReader pom, Collection dependencies )
        throws XMLStreamException, MojoExecutionException
    {
        Iterator i = dependencies.iterator();

        while ( i.hasNext() )
        {
            Dependency dep = (Dependency) i.next();

            if ( isExcludeReactor() && isProducedByReactor( dep ) )
            {
                continue;
            }

            String version = dep.getVersion();
            Matcher versionMatcher = matchSnapshotRegex.matcher( version );
            if ( !versionMatcher.matches() )
            {
                Artifact artifact = this.findArtifact( dep );
                if ( !isIncluded( artifact ) )
                {
                    continue;
                }

                ArtifactVersions versions = getHelper().lookupArtifactVersions( artifact, false );
                try
                {
                    ArtifactVersion[] newer = versions.getNewerVersions( artifact.getSelectedVersion(), false );
                    if ( newer.length > 0 )
                    {
                        if ( PomHelper.setDependencyVersion( pom, dep.getGroupId(), dep.getArtifactId(), version,
                                                             newer[newer.length - 1].toString() ) )
                        {
                            getLog().debug(
                                "Version set to " + newer[newer.length - 1].toString() + " for dependnecy: " + dep );
                        }
                    }
                }
                catch ( OverConstrainedVersionException e )
                {
                    getLog().warn( "This should never happen as your build should not work at all if this is thrown",
                                   e );
                }
            }
        }
    } 
                            #location 25 
                            #vulnerability type NULL_DEREFERENCE
#fixed code
                                private void useLatestReleases( ModifiedPomXMLEventReader pom, Collection dependencies )
        throws XMLStreamException, MojoExecutionException
    {
        Iterator i = dependencies.iterator();

        while ( i.hasNext() )
        {
            Dependency dep = (Dependency) i.next();

            if ( isExcludeReactor() && isProducedByReactor( dep ) )
            {
                getLog().info( "Ignoring reactor dependency: " + toString( dep ) );
                continue;
            }

            String version = dep.getVersion();
            Matcher versionMatcher = matchSnapshotRegex.matcher( version );
            if ( !versionMatcher.matches() )
            {
                Artifact artifact = this.toArtifact( dep );
                if ( !isIncluded( artifact ) )
                {
                    continue;
                }

                getLog().debug( "Looking for newer versions of " + toString( dep ) );
                ArtifactVersions versions = getHelper().lookupArtifactVersions( artifact, false );
                ArtifactVersion[] newer = versions.getNewerVersions( version, false );
                if ( newer.length > 0 )
                {
                    String newVersion = newer[newer.length - 1].toString();
                    if ( PomHelper.setDependencyVersion( pom, dep.getGroupId(), dep.getArtifactId(), version,
                                                         newVersion ) )
                    {
                        getLog().info( "Updated " + toString( dep ) + " to version " + newVersion );
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }