diff --git a/docs/documentation/stories/asset-configuration.md b/docs/documentation/stories/asset-configuration.md
index ef910b1d8561..f6f1f06f1238 100644
--- a/docs/documentation/stories/asset-configuration.md
+++ b/docs/documentation/stories/asset-configuration.md
@@ -60,3 +60,24 @@ to `true` on your asset definition, like so:
 ```
 
 This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.
+
+## Read assets outside of `dist/`
+
+This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.
+
+Because reading files in your project isn't an expected effect of `ng build`, it is disabled by 
+default on every assets. In order to allow this behaviour, you need to set `allowOutsideReadDir` 
+to `true` on your asset definition, like so:
+
+```json
+"assets": [
+  {
+    "glob": "**/*",
+    "input": "../not-dist/some/folder/",
+    "output": "./assets/",
+    "allowOutsideReadDir": true
+  },
+]
+```
+
+This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.
diff --git a/packages/@angular/cli/lib/config/schema.json b/packages/@angular/cli/lib/config/schema.json
index b48bdabf990b..c37b654bf006 100644
--- a/packages/@angular/cli/lib/config/schema.json
+++ b/packages/@angular/cli/lib/config/schema.json
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@
                       "type": "boolean",
                       "description": "Allow assets to be copied outside the outDir.",
                       "default": false
+                    },
+                    "allowOutsideReadDir": {
+                      "type": "boolean",
+                      "description": "Allow assets to be read outside the project dir.",
+                      "default": false
                     }
                   },
                   "additionalProperties": false
diff --git a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
index 6ac61f5a18fc..588807fe6ef1 100644
--- a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
+++ b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as path from 'path';
 import { HashedModuleIdsPlugin } from 'webpack';
 import * as CopyWebpackPlugin from 'copy-webpack-plugin';
+import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { extraEntryParser, getOutputHashFormat, AssetPattern } from './utils';
 import { isDirectory } from '../../utilities/is-directory';
 import { requireProjectModule } from '../../utilities/require-project-module';
@@ -106,19 +107,28 @@ export function getCommonConfig(wco: WebpackConfigOptions) {
 
         if (!asset.allowOutsideOutDir) {
           const message = 'An asset cannot be written to a location outside of the output path. '
-                        + 'You can override this message by setting the `allowOutsideOutDir` '
-                        + 'property on the asset to true in the CLI configuration.';
+            + 'You can override this message by setting the `allowOutsideOutDir` '
+            + 'property on the asset to true in the CLI configuration.';
           throw new SilentError(message);
         }
       }
 
       // Prevent asset configurations from reading files outside of the project.
       const projectRelativeInput = path.relative(projectRoot, asset.input);
-      if (projectRelativeInput.startsWith('..') || path.isAbsolute(projectRelativeInput)) {
-        const message = 'An asset cannot be read from a location outside the project.';
+      if ((projectRelativeInput.startsWith('..') || path.isAbsolute(projectRelativeInput))
+        && !asset.allowOutsideReadDir) {
+
+        const message = `${asset.input} cannot be read from a location outside the project.`
+          + 'You can override this message by setting the `allowOutsideReadDir` '
+          + 'property on the asset to true in the CLI configuration.';
         throw new SilentError(message);
       }
 
+      if (asset.allowOutsideReadDir) {
+        console.log(chalk.yellow('The allowOutsideReadDir option'
+          + ' is on that could be a security risk'));
+      }
+
       // Ensure trailing slash.
       if (isDirectory(path.resolve(asset.input))) {
         asset.input += '/';
@@ -190,7 +200,8 @@ export function getCommonConfig(wco: WebpackConfigOptions) {
       : 'rxjs/_esm5/path-mapping';
     const rxPaths = requireProjectModule(projectRoot, rxjsPathMappingImport);
     alias = rxPaths(nodeModules);
-  } catch (e) { }
+  } catch (e) {
+  }
 
   // Allow loaders to be in a node_modules nested inside the CLI package
   const loaderNodeModules = ['node_modules'];
diff --git a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/utils.ts b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/utils.ts
index a7a019aea872..8e5515635da3 100644
--- a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/utils.ts
@@ -98,4 +98,5 @@ export interface AssetPattern {
   input?: string;
   output?: string;
   allowOutsideOutDir?: boolean;
+  allowOutsideReadDir?: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/tests/e2e/tests/basic/assets.ts b/tests/e2e/tests/basic/assets.ts
index 41d36a5463d0..5527cca48f41 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/tests/basic/assets.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/tests/basic/assets.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,14 @@ export default function () {
       ];
     }))
     .then(() => expectToFail(() => ng('build')))
+    .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {
+      const app = configJson['apps'][0];
+       app['assets'] = [
+         { 'glob': '**/*', 'input': '/temp-folder/outside-allowed/of/project', 'output': 'temp',
+           'allowOutsideReadDir': true }
+       ];
+      }))
+      .then(() => ng('build'))
 
     // Add asset config in .angular-cli.json.
     .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {