RELAY DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

A relay device includes a plurality of input/output ports (111); an authentication information storage unit (114) to store authentication information used for performing authentication of a target relay device which is a relay device to be authenticated; an authentication processing unit (113) to acquire a target authentication packet which is an authentication packet used for authentication of the target relay device via a target input/output port (111) which is an input/output port connected to the target relay device in the plurality of input/output ports and to authenticate the target relay device by referring to the authentication information, and a relay processing unit (112) to cause a transfer input/output port which is an input/output port (111) to which a transfer destination of the transfer packet is connected, and to discard the transfer packet when the authentication of the target relay device is failed.