GRE security mechanisms

GRE supports the following security mechanisms:

• GRE key—Ensures packet validity. The sender adds a GRE key into a packet. The receiver compares the GRE key with its own GRE key. If the two keys are the same, the receiver accepts the packet. If the two keys are different, the receiver drops the packet.

• GRE checksum—Ensures packet integrity. The sender calculates a checksum for the GRE header and payload and sends the packet containing the checksum to the tunnel peer. The receiver calculates a checksum for the received packet and compares it with that carried in the packet. If the checksums are the same, the receiver considers the packet intact and continues to process the packet. If the checksums are different, the receiver discards the packet.