The U.S. has a new national counterintelligence executive.

Frank Montoya, Jr. joined the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Feb. 6 from the FBI’s Honolulu Division, where he was the special agent-in-charge. His appointment comes at a critical time, as cyber-attacks on U.S government and commercial systems are at an all-time high.

The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX) sets the priorities for counterintelligence collection, investigations and operations, and conducts in-depth espionage damage assessments.

“Frank has a long and distinguished career in national security, domestic and foreign investigations and operations,” said James R. Clapper, director of National Intelligence.

A November 2011 report to Congress from the ONCIX warned of the growing sophistication of cyber-threats and officially named Russia and China as the main culprits of cyber-attacks on U.S. systems.

via WTOP, continued here.