diff --git a/gns3server/controller/export_project.py b/gns3server/controller/export_project.py
index b8cd5a0c..4e376e50 100644
--- a/gns3server/controller/export_project.py
+++ b/gns3server/controller/export_project.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def export_project(project, temporary_dir, include_images=False, keep_compute_id
             yield from _patch_project_file(project, os.path.join(project._path, file), zstream, include_images, keep_compute_id, allow_all_nodes, temporary_dir)
 
     # Export the local files
-    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(project._path, topdown=True):
+    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(project._path, topdown=True, followlinks=False):
         files = [f for f in files if _is_exportable(os.path.join(root, f))]
         for file in files:
             path = os.path.join(root, file)
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ def _patch_mtime(path):
         new_mtime = file_date.replace(year=1980).timestamp()
         os.utime(path, (st.st_atime, new_mtime))
 
+
 def _is_exportable(path):
     """
     :returns: True if file should not be included in the final archive
@@ -134,6 +135,10 @@ def _is_exportable(path):
     if path.endswith("snapshots"):
         return False
 
+    # do not export symlinks
+    if os.path.islink(path):
+        return False
+
     # do not export directories of snapshots
     if "{sep}snapshots{sep}".format(sep=os.path.sep) in path:
         return False
diff --git a/gns3server/controller/import_project.py b/gns3server/controller/import_project.py
index a5a89661..83603c17 100644
--- a/gns3server/controller/import_project.py
+++ b/gns3server/controller/import_project.py
@@ -184,9 +184,11 @@ def _move_files_to_compute(compute, project_id, directory, files_path):
 
     location = os.path.join(directory, files_path)
     if os.path.exists(location):
-        for (dirpath, dirnames, filenames) in os.walk(location):
+        for (dirpath, dirnames, filenames) in os.walk(location, followlinks=False):
             for filename in filenames:
                 path = os.path.join(dirpath, filename)
+                if os.path.islink(path):
+                    continue
                 dst = os.path.relpath(path, directory)
                 yield from _upload_file(compute, project_id, path, dst)
         yield from wait_run_in_executor(shutil.rmtree, os.path.join(directory, files_path))
@@ -213,9 +215,11 @@ def _import_images(controller, path):
 
     image_dir = controller.images_path()
     root = os.path.join(path, "images")
-    for (dirpath, dirnames, filenames) in os.walk(root):
+    for (dirpath, dirnames, filenames) in os.walk(root, followlinks=False):
         for filename in filenames:
             path = os.path.join(dirpath, filename)
+            if os.path.islink(path):
+                continue
             dst = os.path.join(image_dir, os.path.relpath(path, root))
             os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(dst), exist_ok=True)
             shutil.move(path, dst)