---
schema: 1
type: term
title: _iron triangle_
description: >-
  A rule of thumb in computing security: a safe system can have only **two** of
  these three — **untrusted code**, **sensitive data**, and **network access** —
  never all three at once.
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/iron-triangle-431a15a217b6'
markdown: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/iron-triangle-431a15a217b6.md
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# \_iron triangle\_

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/iron-triangle-431a15a217b6

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

A rule of thumb in computing security: a safe system can have only **two** of these three — **untrusted code**, **sensitive data**, and **network access** — never all three at once.

In this channel's material, the **_iron triangle_** appears in Alex Komoroske's discussion of computing architecture and security. His formulation: a safe system can have only **two** of these three things at once: 1. **Untrusted code** 2. **Sensitive data** 3. **Network access** He uses the triangle to explain the architectural trade-offs of the platforms we already live with [^bb2c42aa-478f-5c9a-ac26-e83a54c63127@1771]: - **The web**: untrusted code + network access, but no sensitive data. - **The app store model**: sensitive data + network access, but all code vetted centrally (a gatekeeping that starts as a 30% tax).  Komoroske's favorite historical counterexample is the **file system**: multiple apps working on the same data, coordinating without any single app owning your life — evidence that the triangle can be broken. Tools like **information flow control** and **confidential computing**, in his argument, would enable wild, interesting things impossible today, leading toward what he calls **contextual flow control** [^bb2c42aa-478f-5c9a-ac26-e83a54c63127@1771].   - A **safe system can have only two** of: untrusted code, sensitive data, network access. - The web and the app store each pick different two of the three. - Breaking the triangle — via information flow control, confidential computing, or the file-system precedent — is the leverage point for user-aligned, non-aggregating architectures.