diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/crypto/DummyDSAEngine.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/crypto/DummyDSAEngine.java
index 3a35a9629838a15250e3bc86a38e3d38907a9499..b8e7e1934831de0ca28a272335b4301d97c10bdb 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/crypto/DummyDSAEngine.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/crypto/DummyDSAEngine.java
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ import net.i2p.data.SigningPublicKey;
  *
  */
 public class DummyDSAEngine extends DSAEngine {
+
+    private static final Signature FAKE_SIGNATURE = new Signature(new byte[Signature.SIGNATURE_BYTES]);
+
     public DummyDSAEngine(I2PAppContext context) {
         super(context);
     }
@@ -21,8 +24,6 @@ public class DummyDSAEngine extends DSAEngine {
     
     @Override
     public Signature sign(byte data[], SigningPrivateKey signingKey) {
-        Signature sig = new Signature();
-        sig.setData(Signature.FAKE_SIGNATURE);
-        return sig;
+        return FAKE_SIGNATURE;
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/Signature.java b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/Signature.java
index 55b60c7a96056c75825d351ada813ea0f2177e32..83f0410e2458ab1e4c920260aac7cb747da6a2ea 100644
--- a/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/Signature.java
+++ b/core/java/src/net/i2p/data/Signature.java
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ public class Signature extends SimpleDataStructure {
     private static final SigType DEF_TYPE = SigType.DSA_SHA1;
     /** 40 */
     public final static int SIGNATURE_BYTES = DEF_TYPE.getSigLen();
-    /** all zeros */
+
+    /**
+     * all zeros
+     * @deprecated to be removed
+     */
     public final static byte[] FAKE_SIGNATURE = new byte[SIGNATURE_BYTES];
 
     private final SigType _type;