While future cybersecurity threats from quantum cryptography and quantum computers are nascent, agencies must start hardening their communications infrastructures from these new attacks. Quantum has numerous applications within the federal government as it is ideally suited to protect sensitive information such as healthcare data, financial information, and classified intelligence.In the “Hardening Federal Infrastructures Against Quantum Threats” interview, Lamont Copeland, Director of Federal Solutions Architecture with Verizon, and Jim Westdorp, Senior Director Strategic Initiatives at Ciena Government Solutions, broke down the different quantum types, threats and zero trust compatibility to federal agencies and beyond.“One of the reasons why networks today are susceptible to quantum attacks is because PKI exchanges keys in such a way that they are mathematically susceptible to attacks,” said Westdorp. “Looking at changing our cryptographic infrastructure is really about preparing networks today from future risks that can be exposed to from improvements in quantum computers.”