A few days ago a JPEG file validated by the non-fungible token (NFT) EtherRock was sold for almost a million dollars, which surprised few users familiar with the subject considering that there are only a hundred of these simple images of rocks and it is impossible to “mint” more.
This is not to say that there are not more similar projects. A few weeks ago, a developer picked up an old NFT project inspired by Pet Rock, from 2017; apparently, this project was shelved because it allowed anyone to mint an unlimited number of tokens.
This project, known as “We Like The Rocks”, has begun to attract the attention of some developers and investors again, who are buying resold tokens for prices up to $60,000 USD. One of those interested is popular YouTuber Logan Paul, who invested more than $150,000 USD in these images with no apparent value, all through the website WeLikeTheRocks.com.
How to mint one of these rocks
On the contract reading page, enter a number under the “Rocks” option to check if the desired rock has been claimed. If it is not associated with a wallet, it is available. To mint the NFT, link a wallet in the browser, such as MetaMask, via the “Connect to the Web” button under the “Write Contract” option.
Then, under the “Buy Rock”, enter 0 for the amount and number of the unclaimed rock you would like to buy. Submit the transaction via MetaMask and pay the corresponding Ethereum fee.
The contract contains an error that will immediately list your newly minted rock for sale for free. To remedy this, press “Sell Rock”; immediately after your transaction has been confirmed, enter your rock number and put it up for sale. You can sell your NFT through the contract or enter an incredibly high price, such as 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
Although both projects allude to rocks, NFTs in neither project have chain records of rock images. EtherRock.com uses JPEG files based on royalty-free clip art from 1995; WeLikeTheRocks.com uses a pixelated version of that image.
You won’t be able to see this on your MetaMask wallet either; you can only see it in the contract when you check the availability of the rock. A fledgling community of developers is busy bringing the contract to modern standards and hopes to include it in the NFT OpenSea market.
To learn more about information security risks, malware variants, vulnerabilities and information technologies, feel free to access the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) websites.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
