Abstract: An authentication unit performs an authentication processing to obtain a permission for a physical interface including a driver to establish a connection to a network to perform a data transfer. A detecting unit detects authentication state information indicating a state of the authentication processing. Upon receiving the authentication state information from the detecting unit, a transmission control unit controls a transmission of data received from a module for performing a communication based on a protocol of an upper-level layer with respect to a data link layer to an external device based on the state of the authentication processing.