Exploring Cryptography: SHA-256 to Blake3 Transition

The power of cryptography keeps you safe. Whenever you're scrolling through your phone or surfing the internet, this is possible because of carefully-crafted security algorithms, all rooted in cryptography. You may be familiar with something called SHA-256, a strongly secure hashing algorithm used to verify data online. There's a whole menu of algorithms like this, with newer ones popping up as technology advances. some older ones can now be deciphered quite easily, meaning we must be vigilant about selecting safe, secure algorithms. A perfect example of this is Blake3, a cryptographic hash function that works faster than its older cousin, MD5. Yes, it's still an incredible accomplishment to outpace any existing hashing algorithms, despite it not being brand new.