The first Monero mining algorithm was CryptoNight PoW, a very different from HashCash, the Bitcoin mining algorithm. CryptoNight PoW was designed to work properly on ordinary CPUs, which detracts a bit from the popularity of the mining process via graphics cards (GPUs) or specialized ASIC hardware. However, Monero updated its protocol to RandomX, a new Monero mining algorithm whose objective is (like its predecessor) to keep the network protected from ASIC mining, allowing only mining per CPU, and at the same time providing enormous security to its protocol and blockchain.