Yes, it is quite exposed on most of these mirrorless cameras (the Nikon Z8 and Z9 have a shield that can be used to protect, a few other cameras allow you to close the shutter, but then the shutter blades become vulnerable).
The biggest danger is changing lenses in wet conditions (mist, light rain, etc.), where if any moisture gets directly to the sensor you're likely to end up with either smears (if you try to wipe it off) or bubbles (if you let it dry) in your photos. So be careful on rainy days, around waterfalls, near the ocean, and other places where there's real water droplets in the air. I'd also point out that pollens can be a problem too, so if you're in the middle of a big pollen proliferation, be careful, too.
There’s a fallacy amongst mirrorless users that the sensor cleaning built into the camera is all that’s necessary to keep their sensors clean. That’s not true. Having used mirrorless cameras for over fifteen years now, I can tell you that you need to manually clean your sensor on mirrorless cameras about as much as you do with DSLRs, possibly more if you’re sloppy about lens changes. See next FAQ.