Which of the following would be the most appropriate way to protect data in transit?

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function that generates a fixed-size hash value from input data. While it is useful for ensuring data integrity and authenticity, it does not provide encryption or secure transmission of data over a network, which is necessary for protecting data in transit.

SSL 3.0 is an outdated cryptographic protocol that has known vulnerabilities, making it insecure for protecting data in transit. It has been largely replaced by TLS protocols, including TLS 1.3, which offer better security features and address the weaknesses present in SSL 3.0.

AES-256 is a symmetric encryption algorithm that provides strong encryption for data at rest or in transit. However, by itself, it does not establish a secure communication channel. While it can be used within TLS, it is not the complete solution for protecting data in transit as TLS 1.3 is.