dumb question

Okay, I'm using vsftpd, and I'm wondering just how damn secure it is. I know there are lots of other options, but pretty much out-of-the-box, are connections (including, nay, specifically logins) encrypted or do I need to compile it with SSL support and enable SSL in the vsftpd.conf?

Also, I just noticed that files uploaded by someone using a local account are owned by a user called "printerUser". This is not the account they logged in as. What the frig?