diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EntityDescriptorConversionUtils.java b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EntityDescriptorConversionUtils.java
index 29e9a9336..8b4e7a71a 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EntityDescriptorConversionUtils.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EntityDescriptorConversionUtils.java
@@ -247,9 +247,21 @@ public static void setupSecurity(EntityDescriptor ed, EntityDescriptorRepresenta
             SecurityInfoRepresentation securityInfoRepresentation = representation.getSecurityInfo();
             if (securityInfoRepresentation.isAuthenticationRequestsSigned()) {
                 getSPSSODescriptorFromEntityDescriptor(ed).setAuthnRequestsSigned(true);
+            } else {
+                // If false, only set if the spssodescriptor already exists and is true
+                SPSSODescriptor descriptor = ed.getSPSSODescriptor("");
+                if (descriptor != null && descriptor.isAuthnRequestsSigned()) {
+                    descriptor.setAuthnRequestsSigned((Boolean)null);
+                }
             }
             if (securityInfoRepresentation.isWantAssertionsSigned()) {
                 getSPSSODescriptorFromEntityDescriptor(ed).setWantAssertionsSigned(true);
+            } else {
+                // If false, only set if the spssodescriptor already exists and is true
+                SPSSODescriptor descriptor = ed.getSPSSODescriptor("");
+                if (descriptor != null && descriptor.getWantAssertionsSigned()) {
+                    descriptor.setWantAssertionsSigned((Boolean)null);
+                }
             }
             // TODO: review if we need more than a naive implementation
             ed.getOptionalSPSSODescriptor().ifPresent( i -> i.getKeyDescriptors().clear());
@@ -375,4 +387,4 @@ public static void setupRelyingPartyOverrides(EntityDescriptor ed, EntityDescrip
             getOptionalEntityAttributes(ed).ifPresent(entityAttributes -> entityAttributes.getAttributes().clear());
         }
     }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file